FRANKLYWNOW - Citywide cleanup participation up nearly 50 percent

With an entire winter’s worth of trash along the highway, volunteers were bound to find some interesting items.

“A slightly dirty, used hockey skate. Looks like a left foot, size 10-and-a-half. Anybody?” one volunteer laughed.

The Anchorage Chamber of Commerce president, Bruce Bustamante, said participation in the Anchorage Citywide Cleanup is up 44 percent this year.

“Anchorage is known for its volunteerism, especially around citywide cleanup. It’s a chance to spruce up the city. We all have friends and relatives coming into town, we all care about our city individually and it’s a good way to clean up before the tourists get here,” Bustamante said.

There were more than 150 groups– including several from BP– that pitched in picking up garbage along major roadways.

“As the snow melts you see the cacophony of what happened over the winter. It’s nice to take an early, sunny afternoon and get out and clean it up,” said Weston Nash, a land advisor for BP. “We live here, too; it’s part of our community.”

Volunteers are responsible for hauling their filled bags to the dump. There is no coordinated roadside pickup, just Good Samaritans like Nash.

“I’ve already picked up three others. My coworker picked up six this morning because we’re going to the dump this afternoon. I’ll pick up the rest here that people left from yesterday,” Nash said.

There will be one more free dump day at the Anchorage Regional Landfill. That’s Saturday, May 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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