In Celebration of Earth Day, Caltrans Invites Volunteers to Join a Local Clean California Community Days Cleanup

Over 70 events scheduled statewide. Find a local event at CleanCA.com/cccd24/

SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of Earth Day, Caltrans encourages residents, community groups and local businesses to make a difference and beautify their neighborhoods by joining one of the more than 70 Clean California Community Days events scheduled for Friday, April 19 through Monday, April 22.

"Earth Day weekend provides an opportunity to reflect on our responsibility as caretakers and protectors of our natural environment," said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. "Through environmental stewardship, volunteerism and good old-fashioned elbow grease, our neighborhoods will emerge from these Earth Day beautification events as cleaner, happier places to live and work."

"Californians are always looking for ways to engage in their communities to green and beautify neighborhoods, and Clean California provides a powerful way for them to take action every day, including Earth Day," said California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday.

Many of the events are organized in partnership with local environmental service groups and municipalities. Local events can be found by visiting https://cleanca.com/cccd24/.

Clean California Community Days events include:

• Tree Planting & Gardening Events: With a particular emphasis on underserved urban communities, these events aim to enhance public spaces, improve air quality and provide much-needed shade.
• Community Trash Collection Events (Dump Days): Designed to combat illegal dumping and promote recycling, these gatherings offer residents a convenient, no-cost opportunity to responsibly dispose of household waste, including items such as like tires, mattresses, e-waste and appliances.
• Public Community Cleanups: Ranging from large-scale beach cleanups to individual efforts to spruce up neighborhoods, these events harness the power of community volunteers to tackle litter and debris and create more appealing public spaces.
• Educational and Entertainment Events: Festivals and gatherings celebrate community spirit and educate attendees about the impacts of litter on the environment and the benefits of proper waste disposal methods. These family-friendly events feature interactive booths, educational games and other engaging activities.

Since launching Clean California in July 2021, Caltrans and its local partners have picked up more than 2.3 million cubic yards of litter ? enough to fill about 700 Olympic-size swimming pools.

This represents a substantial increase compared to the department's previous trash collection efforts and can largely be attributed to Clean California. Caltrans has hosted more than 500 free dump days in communities throughout the state ? resulting in the collection of more than 12,000 mattresses and nearly 50,000 tires.

The initiative has drawn more than 10,000 community clean-up volunteers and created approximately 15,000 jobs, including positions for individuals who were formerly incarcerated, on probation or experiencing housing insecurity.

For more information about Clean California Community Days and individual events, visit CleanCA.com.

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SOURCE Caltrans