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October 14, 2009

Falls Road Runners collect 50 bags of roadside trash

By Samantha Swindler / Managing Editor

Members of the Falls Road Runners took to the streets Saturday morning — not to run, but to walk in search of trash.

“We went two miles out South Main toward KY 26 and two miles out toward Falls Highway,” said organizer Chris Jones. “The Falls Road wasn’t bad, but KY 26 was really bad. But I got a call later from Danny Moses, the solid waste coordinator, and he just went on and on about how great it looked and how thorough those ladies did on that stretch.”

Eleven members of the running group spent four hours cleaning up trash.

“We got 50 bags out of four miles, and it was appalling the things that people would throw out their car windows,” Jones said. “You have no idea until you actually get out there...”

The cleanup was part of the new Litter Lieutenants program offered through the Whitley County Fiscal Court and funded by PRIDE (Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment). Through Litter Lieutenants, non-profit groups can receive $100 for each mile of roadway they clean. Each group may clean up to five miles of roadway per year. The county provides garbage bags, reflective vests, litter grabbers, signage and disposal of the collected trash.

“It allowed us to earn some money for the club as well as do something we were going to do anyway,” Jones said of the program.

The cleanup is something Jones hopes to make an annual event.

“We feel blessed to run out in our environment and our community, so we feel this is an opportunity to give back and clean up in the areas that we do most of our running in,” Jones said. “I’m really appreciative to those core people who gave up four hours of their morning to come out and make that happen for the club.”

The Falls Road Runners, formed this year, has already grown to close to 90 members. More information on the club and upcoming races, including the Oct. 31 Jack-o-lantern Jog, can be found at www.fallsroadrunners.org

For more information on the Litter Lieutenants program, contact Tracy West, director of county projects, at 606-549-6012.

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