COVINGTON, Ky. – Respect for the health of the air, water, and earth may be a concept, but here in The Cov, we have practical ways to celebrate Earth Day this year.
Among the activities: An Earth Day program for children this Saturday (April 22) at Goebel Park … at least 13 sites registered to be cleaned and beautified as part of Covington’s version of the Great American Cleanup on Saturday, April 29 … and a push to expand recycling participation.
“This is a day when each of us can acknowledge our responsibility to protect the environment and promote conservation and sustainability,” said Sheila Fields, the City’s Solid Waste & Recycling division manager. “We can begin by making a difference in our own community.”
Details:
It’s never too early to learn about recycling, and, with that in mind, Covington Parks & Recreation is hosting an Earth Day Program at Goebel Park on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The event will celebrate planet Earth and teach children how to protect it. It will include crafts, games, and booths from local nature groups.
Enjoy fresh air, exercise, and doing something good for the community? Then you’ll want to be part of the Great American Cleanup 2023.
It happens on Saturday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to noon, when volunteers will converge on 13 locations in Covington to plant trees and flowers, pull weeds, rake debris, spread mulch, pick up litter, and tackle all range of tasks aimed at the beautification of The Cov and its neighborhoods.
Generally billed as the largest volunteer event in the city, the Cleanup has been known to attract between 700-800 volunteers to corner parks, wooded areas, medians, alleys, and “problem spots” in Covington.
“We appreciate and value the community coming together to support the effort of keeping Covington beautiful,” said Jameela Salaah, of Keep Covington Beautiful (KCB) and The Center for Great Neighborhoods, the non-profits organizing the event. “Great American Cleanup is one of our biggest events of the year with the number of sites and volunteers. I am always in awe of the accomplishments these events bring each year.”
Locations registered for the event include:
- Peaselburg Neighborhood.
- Benton Road - Monte Casino Neighborhood.
- Mutter Gottes-Old Town Neighborhood.
- Community Montessori.
- Redden Gardens.
- West 20th and surrounding streets.
- Hotel Covington.
- Austinburg Gateway Garden.
- Goebel Pollinator Garden.
- Old Seminary Square.
- Austinburg Park.
Holmes High School and Covington Classical Academy will hold their own cleanups, although neither site is accepting outside volunteers.
Salaah said volunteers are still needed at most of the sites.To participate, you can just show up or sign up ahead of time at VOLUNTEER SIGNUP. Salaah said registration is not required but is helpful for site coordination.
Thanks to support from the City of Covington’s Solid Waste & Recycling Division, KCB will provide volunteers with trash bags, gloves, grabbers, trash bag removal, tools, hand sanitizer, snacks, and a giveaway for every volunteer.
Fields and her team work daily to encourage and enable Covington’s residents and businesses to put good intentions into action through initiatives like the City’s curbside recycling program, which is free for homeowners and, Fields said, is a good place to start.
“If you’re not already recycling, then sign up for Covington curbside recycling pick-up today, by calling Rumpke Waste & Recycling at (800) 8282-8171,” she said.
But make sure, Fields advises, to educate yourself about recycling so you’re not tossing unrecyclable items in your recycling cart. To do that, she advises checking out Rumpke’s comprehensive recycling guide to make sure you’re recycling the proper material.
Fields also suggests:
- Learning about glass recycling. Rumpke needs your recyclable glass at its processing facility in Dayton, Ohio.
- Recycling on the go. Fields said next month the City will install 10 recycling receptacles in MainStrasse Village to provide public recycling for folks on the go.
- Food recycling. If lack of space for a backyard composting operation keeps you from composting, Fields encourages Covington residents to sign up for Queen City Commons and Redden Garden Food Waste Collection drop-off. Commercial businesses should contact Queen City Commons for a commercial bin and collection.
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