KEEP MCINTOSH BEAUTIFUL Information

Thank you to everyone who volunteered at our Darien Waterfront Park Cleanup on Saturday. Together, we were able to clean up 17 big bags of trash! Unfortunately, the Barrington River and Park Cleanup scheduled for Saturday, October 10 have been canceled. With the forecasted rain, wind, and thunderstorms coming from Hurricane Delta in the Gulf of Mexico, we feel it would be unsafe to hold the event. We are working with our partners to reschedule this event. We will keep you posted on a rescheduled date. The Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation has launched the Litter Awareness Campaign. The campaign is a statewide public service campaign designed to bring attention to the issue of litter in Georgia with the use of digital and print media, local programs, and community outreach activities, including an online pledge component. In addition to harming wildlife and the environment, litter negatively impacts economic development, health, and safety across our state. Throughout this campaign, targeted messaging, programs, and initiatives will highlight these impact areas and provide resources for everyday actions to help reduceand ultimately eliminatelitter in Georgia. Why We Need This Campaign: National Statistics on Litter & Blight: The direct cost of cleaning up litter: $11.5 billion nationally; $10 million in Georgia When litter is present, property value decreases by 7%. Plastic trash in our environment is valued at $7.2 trillion, including 2% that is incinerated. There are more than 50 billion pieces of litter on our nations roadways, with 4.6 billion pieces larger than four inches in size. Most roadway litter76%originates from motorists and pedestrians. 15% of litter occurs in already blighted environments. Approximately 85% of littering results from individual attitudes. Changing individual behavior is key to preventing litter. Motorists not properly securing truck or cargo loads, including collection vehicles, representing 20.7% of roadway litter 4 inches-plus. Vehicle debris and improperly secured containers, ...