Over a 2,000 volunteers chipped in to remove litter and debris during the 4th annual Great Jersey City Cleanup yesterday.
“Keep America Beautiful is the nation’s leading community improvement non-profit and Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup is one of the larger events that’s taking place in New Jersey,” stated Larry Kaufman, the director of communications for Keep America Beautiful.
“Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup is really all about keeping Jersey City clean, green and beautiful.”
In prior years, the event has consistently brought out between 1,000 to 2,000 volunteers who get tons of all types of debris, litter and recyclables off the streets.
“It’s important because it all starts with the community, people taking personal ownership in their neighborhoods. When people are out there on days like today cleaning up the streets, cleaning up the gutters, the sidewalks, they take an ownership they feel more connected to it,” said Mayor Steven Fulop.
The effort lasted from about 10 a.m. until two 2 p.m. and focused on cleaning nine different locations throughout the city: Audubon Park, Lincoln Park, Journal Square Plaza, Pershing Field, Leonard Gordon Park, Riverview Park, Hamilton Park and Arlington Park.
John Lynch, the Chief of Administrative Services in the Jersey City Department of Public Works, is the one who helped lead the cleanup by serving as a point person for Keep America Beautiful.
“It was a great day for people to go out and meet their neighbors, as well to get people into the habit of cleaning up litter on a daily basis,” he said.
The Departments of DPW, Cultural Affairs, the Resident Response Center and Health and Human Services all played a major role in the event, as well as the LCCS Giveback Team, Team Wilderness and the Big Brothers and Sister – among many other community associations and alliances.
