Toledo Litter League Announcement

Thursday, April 22, 2021

City of Toledo
Lucas County Commissioners

Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful
MEDIA ADVISORY

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, Lucas County Commissioner Gary L. Byers, and Toledo Council Member Nick Komives announced today the creation of the Toledo Litter League, a community-wide, summer-long, litter cleanup and beautification initiative operated by Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful.

“This another way we are endeavoring to keep Toledo and Lucas County beautiful and litter-free,” Mayor Kapszukiewicz said. “Toledoans and Lucas County residents care deeply about their community, which is why I am certain this program will be a great success. Toledo Litter League is a competitive, baseball-themed litter abatement program aimed at striking out litter in Toledo and Lucas County. Teams will consist of businesses, neighborhood groups, faith-based organizations, private clubs, civic organizations, and individuals.”

More information and how to sign up can be found at toledo.oh.gov/litter-league.

“Litter continues to be an issue, not just in Toledo but for other communities in Lucas County as well. We can all play a role to reduce litter in our community," Commissioner Byers said. “As we think about our impact on the environment on this Earth Day, our goal as a community should not be just to limit the negative impact that we have on the environment, but to have positive impact. This is the only way to create a sustainable future. Register your group today for the Toledo Litter League.”

“Litter has environmental concerns as well as economic ones,” Mr. Komives said. “It impacts tourism, the housing market, and attracting new businesses to our area. It also costs money – more than $3 million annually in the state of Ohio. With the help of individuals and community partners across all of Lucas County, lets strike out litter.”

The announcement was made at Fifth Third Field.

“Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful envisions a world in balance – where everything that is created is a resource for something else, and every person takes responsibility for the resources they use, ensuring proper and sustainable disposal,” Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful Executive Director Adam W. Cassi said. “Over the past year, household waste has increased by as much as 30 percent, and the littering of face masks, gloves, and other PPE is rampant. This Earth Day, we are excited to announce, in partnership with the City of Toledo and the Board of Lucas County Commissioners, this new initiative aimed at ‘striking out’ litter in Lucas County.”

The Toledo Litter League “opening day” is Saturday, May 1. It runs through Saturday, Aug. 31. Each team must have a captain, team name, and a roster of no more than 20 players. Any player under the age of 13 must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other responsible adult. Teams must identify in which zip code they will be collecting litter. All cleanups by that team must then take place within that zip code. Each player must complete a liability waiver. All teams must register their litter cleanups with Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful in advance. Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful will provide each team with equipment that includes safety vests, gloves, litter grabbers, and trash bags. Team captains are responsible for submitting a score sheet to report statistics after each cleanup via the Toledo Litter League website. Teams will score one run for every full bag of litter collected. Tires and bulk items will not be included in scoring and cannot be collected during Litter League. If bulky items are found during cleanups, these should be reported on the Toledo Litter League website separately and Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful will coordinate removal.

Commissioner Byers today also announced the launch of the county’s new recycling app. The Lucas County Solid Waste Management District’s “Waste Wizard app,” available on both Android and iPhone, is designed to help residents recycle correctly. Find this resource in the app store by searching “LC Recycles.” Residents can also find Waste Wizard and the Waste Wizard game online at https://www.co.lucas.oh.us/749/Solid-Waste-Management.

Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz and Council Member Komives also announced the city’s commitment to take part in the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge to support monarch and pollinator conservation in our community.

“Toledo has joined a growing network of communities across North America to save the monarch butterfly and other important pollinators,” the mayor said. “Over the next year, we will continue to take action to support monarch and pollinator conservation in our community. I want to thank Council Member Komives who suggested we take the Monarch Pledge and Beatrice Miringu, the city’s sustainability coordinator, who is working on this initiative.”

“The monarch butterfly is vital to our environment and our way of life,” Mr. Komives said. “By preserving and restoring our environment, we create a better world for our future.”

More information on the city’s pledge can be found at this link.

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