Two Woodbridge parks have been spruced up by several volunteers.
About 90 citizens picked up about 1,500 pounds of litter at a recent cleanup.
Supervisor Frank Principi’s Office, Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District (PWSWCD), Keep Prince William Beautiful (KPWB), the Prince William County Department of Parks and Recreation and Tourism and the Department of Public Works led the event.
Participants collected an array of items, including tires and portable grills, from Jefferson and Veterans Memorial parks.
Garden hoses, carpet and plastic bottles were also picked up, according to a release from the county.
“Around the country, we use something like two million plastic bottles every five minutes, and nearly 80 percent of those plastic bottles never make it into the recycling stream,” Supervisor Frank Principi told the volunteers. “We are going to change that here in eastern Prince William with all of your help. Today is all about picking up and recycling plastic in the park.”
Trash typically builds up during the summer months, according to Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Operations Manager Janet LaFleur.
In addition to removing litter from the parks, the cleanup allowed officials to gather information they can use to receive funding for “litter traps,” according to Meagan Landis, constituent service and policy manager for Principi’s Office.
“We’ve identified areas where the litter is making its way into the waterways at these natural collection points, and we want to install these litter traps, so we’re pursuing federal grant money,” Landis said in a release.
