Keep Pickens Beautiful (KPB) has decided to re-think our planned “Litter-O-lympics” (LOL) for November 8 because we have been unable to get the support we need to make the LOL a viable event. We will be downgrading this event to a “Mini-Litter-O-Lympics,” a community litter pick-up event in Tate. Rather than teams scattering throughout the county, participants will meet at 10am in Tate to clean up the roads that are within walking distance. All participants will be entered into a raffle to win the donated prize items at a smaller celebration that will also include food and other fun.
To participate in the Mini-LOL, contact Keep Pickens Beautiful for more information and watch their social channels for updates.
We would love to see folks come out and help us since the weather promises to be fantastic and Tate deserves some loving attention. And we would also love to hear from the community to understand what kinds of events would draw get you excited to participate in litter reduction projects.
KPB has heard it from many people across the county. Roadside litter is a blight. We know you agree with us, and many folks have pitched in and helped out in many different ways. Our KPB Adopt-A-Road volunteers do a terrific job. The Sheriff’s department cleans up many miles of major roadsides with their inmate work program. Many residents take pride in their roadsides and clean up what they can. The Pickens Recycling Center takes the items the KPB adopters clean up, and the Pickens Road Department helps the KPB with the larger items. The county Marshall’s department helps to address dumping sites and other litter issues. There is a large community effort to address the litter issue, but it is persistent.
In March of 2024, we had some success with our March Miles campaign where we spent every Saturday in March leading a small group of volunteers to clean up some of the worst streets in each area of the county. Although the volunteer numbers were small, we accomplished a great deal of litter pickup and went way past our goal of picking up 2024 gallons of litter by cleaning up four major roads and removing approximately 3,000 gallons of litter.
In November 2024, we held our first Litter-O-Lympics. Teams of ‘Trashletes’ spread throughout the county, collected as much roadside trash as they could in two hours, teams met at the Pickens Recycling Center to count the gallons collected, and everyone celebrated. Prizes were awarded to the Gold, Silver, and Bronze teams. More than 2,000 gallons of trash were collected, and everyone who participated had fun while helping to clean up the county. For an inaugural event, we exceeded our expectations and hoped to have a second annual event that would surpass the first in quantity of litter removed, number of participants, and organization of the litter collection process.
Unfortunately, despite all of the efforts over the past three months by KPB staff and supporters, the response– while hopeful– was smaller than we had anticipated. We appreciate the local businesses that have contributed. Prizes have been donated by Kicks and Company, Mary’s Bread Basket, and Daisy’s Boutique. Sponsorship donations have been received from the Pickens Community Thrift Store and Day’s Chevrolet. However, participation is lower than expected with only a couple of teams registered as of Monday morning. It is just not enough to make the event successful as planned.
KPB is still accepting donated prizes and sponsorships. All items and funds received will go to support the 2025 Mini-LOL. Funds received that aren’t spent on the logistics of the event will be added to the raffle.
Keep Pickens Beautiful is also seeking your input on ways to address the litter challenges Pickens County is facing. We would like to hear from members of the community. What would bring people out to come help clean up the roadsides? What can be done to make an event like the Litter-O-Lympics more successful in the future?
Please visit keeppickensbeautiful.org for more information, to give us your ideas and thoughts on reducing litter in the county, and to find ways to help.