Keep Blanco Beautiful (KBB) and the City of Blanco host an annual Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off event each spring, but this year has been different due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city will be host the trash-off event July 6-11. The city yard will be open to the public for drop offs each weekday from July 6-10, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Saturday, July 11, the city’s public works staff will be at the yard to assist the citizens from 8 a.m. until noon.
The annual trash-off provides a great opportunity to dispose of unwanted litter. Tires, paint, household garbage and animal carcasses will not be accepted. Materials such as trash, metal, batteries and electronics will be accepted at the city yard.
The city and KBB work together to help keep Blanco beautiful. KBB has decided to officially cancel its portion of the spring trash-off event. However, the organization is planning to host the 2nd annual Fall Sweep event. This event will be a clean-up day around the city and the Blanco River. On the morning of the event one will see Blanco ISD students, teachers, Scouts and other citizens walking all over the town collecting litter.
The date for the Fall Sweep has not been set yet, but social distancing guidelines will be followed. The health and safety of volunteers is the number one priority at this time, according to KBB..
The Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup has been rescheduled for June 1 to Oct. 18. GAC is the largest nationwide event designated to help end littering, improve recycling, and beautify America’s towns. The overall goal of the event is to inspire individuals to use their experience after the event at their own homes. Last year, more than 550,000 volunteers gathered nearly 23.4 million pounds of litter.
KBB recommends following social distancing guidelines during this time. If a citizen or organization is interested in collecting litter on their own this summer, the organization encourages following these guidelines. Please wear a face mask and disposable gloves and maintain at least 6 feet of distance from passersby. Another suggestion is to use a litter grabber. Contact KBB prior to the cleanup and the organization would be happy to provide gloves and bags; litter grabbers are available for loan as well. When you are finished collecting litter, please make sure your trash bag is securely tied to protect sanitation workers. Afterwards, please wash your hands with soap and water after collecting litter and dispose of your single-use face masks and disposable gloves properly. The KBB website (keepblancobeautiful.org) and Facebook page are great resources for the meantime.
