VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — We live near so many waterways that when you litter, have balloon releases, or just leave trash lying around, it inevitably ends up in our lakes and the ocean.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
“Just because there’s a pandemic does not mean that you can’t get out and help,” said Michael Moore, the Environmental Program and Initiatives lead for Virginia Beach.
Moore emphasized the importance of the city’s Adopt-A-Program. It’s a two-year commitment for groups, or people 18 and older, to hold six cleanups per year in the area they adopted. He is happy to report the pandemic has not slowed down enthusiasm for clean-up projects.
“We have had 15,000 pounds collected and about 2,000 [to] 2,400 man-hours, volunteer-hours, that were put in. We had a total of 352 cleanups that we were able to record,” said Moore.
Those numbers are from roughly eight months last year. One group, Lynnhaven River Now, played a huge role in those numbers.
“They did 31 cleanups in an eight-month, nine-month period and they collected 6,000 pounds, over 6,000 pounds of the 15,000 pounds,” said Moore.
He said a positive trend has developed over the last year.
“I would say that people are outside a little bit more, noticing their immediate surroundings, their immediate neighborhoods, their parks. People are visiting parks more frequently.”
Moore also said many people are putting what they see on social media.
“Another big thing that we’re noticing is that the community itself, they’re sending more emails and correspondence to city management about areas that need to be cleaned.”
If you’re interested in volunteering for the Adopt-A-Program, click here.
If you would rather do a one-time targeted clean-up, you can email cleanparks@vbgov.com or call 385-0460.