GEORGETOWN — On Friday, Sussex County employees set foot along roadways in the drive to beautify Sussex County.
The volunteer response and its results are being hailed as a huge success, with plans for another litter clean-up drive next year.
“The end result exceeded everyone’s expectations,” said Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson Tuesday in a presentation to county council.
The effort, staged in conjunction with the Employee Benefit Committee as an extension of the county’s employee appreciation luncheon, was organized by Michael Costello, the county’s government affairs manager.
“I want to personally thank Mike and all the volunteers who made this inaugural event a tremendous success,” said Mr. Lawson. “Based on the response and the results, we hope to plan another cleanup effort in 2020.”
Five teams of county employees participated in the cleanup that was part of the Keep DE Little Free campaign.
More than 40 employees – including council members Irwin G. Burton III and John Rieley and Mr. Lawson – spent that Friday afternoon collecting trash along five roads around Seaford, Georgetown, Millsboro and Dagsboro known for their high volume of litter and debris.
The county collected 169 bags of trash as well as larger items, including televisions, furniture and coolers.
Delaware’s Department of Transportation provided supplies and picked up the trash.
“I will say … it was a very good experience,” said Mr. Burton. “At 50 miles an hour you don’t see any trash; you see very little. But man, was there a lot of trash. So, it was a good experience.”
“This was an excellent opportunity for team-building among county employees. Every single department was represented … in one way or another, volunteering or helping along the way,” Mr. Lawson said. “It was a great exercise for us, and in the end the community benefited by having cleaner roads. We hope to duplicate this effort next year sometime in five different places and five different roads. It was a great success; a lot of kudos to Mike Costello.”
Gov. John Carney’s “Keep DE Litter Free” initiative was launched in late April.
For more information on how you can help, visit https://governor.delaware.gov/litter-free/.