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Louisianans remove 68 tons of litter in statewide waterway cleanup
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BATON ROUGE — Louisianans removed 68 tons of litter from waterways last month following a statewide coordinated cleanup, Keep Louisiana Beautiful announced Monday.
The Love Our Waterways campaign brought together residents throughout the state to clean and preserve Louisiana’s rivers, lakes, bayous and shorelines. The push mobilized more than 4,300 volunteers across 51 parishes. Working at 327 individual cleanup events, the volunteers put in hours valued at nearly $1.8 million in community labor, initative leaders said.
"Sportsman's Paradise is defined by our water, and the incredible response to our very first Love Our Waterways month shows just how deep our Louisiana pride runs," Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser said in a prepared statement. "When we stand up to take care of our own backyards, there is absolutely nothing we cannot accomplish. I want to offer my sincere thanks to every single volunteer, local business, and community leader who got their hands dirty to help keep Louisiana beautiful."
Volunteers tackled the litter from all angles, participating in shoreline sweeps, storm drain cleanouts and waterway cleanups by boat.
“Every cleanup begins with someone deciding to make a difference,” Keep Louisiana Beautiful Executive Director Susan Russell said. “The cleanup events demonstrate how individual actions add up. We encourage residents to keep that effort going year-round by volunteering in their community, picking up litter when they see it, and disposing of waste properly.”
Love Our Waterways also secured $205,000 in private sponsorships during the campaign. More than 200 supply kits with trash bags, gloves and event t-shirts were distributed during the cleanup.
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