Macon-Bibb spring cleaning effort kicks off

The Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission wants residents to pick up litter all over town, not just this spring but year round.

The cleanup initiative kicked off Thursday and will officially run through May 31, but everyone is asked to come out for one day in particular, said Ron Foster, litter prevention committee chairman for Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful.

“April 10 is our Macon-Bibb County focused cleanup,” he said.

Much of the effort will focus on the downtown area, scene of the International Cherry Blossom Festival that runs this year from March 19 through April 4.

But there will be small-scale cleanups in various areas, Foster said. Work is being scheduled in the Village Green and Lynmore Estates neighborhoods. There will be cleanups March 14 in Macon-Bibb Commission District 9 and on Walnut Creek in east Macon. And Main Street Macon will hold a “downtown beautification” at 10 a.m. April 25.

“We all live on our own streets, but downtown belongs to everyone,” Main Street Macon Manager Steven Fulbright said. Main Street Macon plans three cleanups this year in partnership with Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful, local government and area residents, he said.

At those and other cleanups that neighborhood groups may hold throughout the year, Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful can supply trash bags, gloves and receptacles, Foster said. The organization can be reached at 330-7054.

Mayor Robert Reichert said government employees work hard every day to keep the community clean, but there’s only so much they can do. He joined others at the event in calling on all Macon-Bibb residents to get involved in cleanup work.

Reichert said he’s often frustrated by angry callers to his office who say there is litter on their streets and demand Macon-Bibb workers clean it up.

“What I really want to say is, ‘Why don’t you get a sack and go pick it up for us?’” he said.

Business owners can ask their employees to clean the space around their businesses, Reichert said.

“Everybody can play a part,” he said.

To promote the yearlong cleanup initiative, Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful and MaconBibbTV put together a local public service announcement and designed a billboard exhorting litter control.

This story was originally published March 5, 2015 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Macon-Bibb spring cleaning effort kicks off ."