Lincoln County and the City of Lincolnton will be taking part in the "Great American Cleanup" on Saturday, April 21. Volunteers are asked to meet at the Lincoln County Courthouse at 8 a.m. to receive their assignments. Pictured preparing for the clean-up initiative are Jim Butler (l), deputy code enforcement officer for the county, and Dwaine Biggerstaff, mayor of Lincolnton. For more information about the Great American Cleanup or to sign up for the event, call the Lincoln County Code Enforcement Office at 706- 359-5522 or City Hall at 706-359-3239. Lincoln County and the City of Lincolnton are sponsoring the "Great American Cleanup" on Saturday, April 21.

The event is being held in conjunction with the Keep America Beautiful initiative.

Last year, 129 local volunteers, including five youth groups, spent a total of 602 hours picking up 4,200 pounds of trash, including tires, batteries, and one television set. The dedicated workers cleaned up approximately 22 miles of roadway

This year's Great American Cleanup will begin at 8 a.m. at the Lincoln County Courthouse, where volunteers will receive their assignments. The work will continue until 12:30 p.m. or later.

The primary sources of litter are pedestrians who do not use trash receptacles, motorists who do not use ashtrays or car litter bags, business dumpsters that are improperly covered, construction and demolition sites with no dump containers or traps, trucks with uncovered loads, and household trash that was not bagged before it was placed in the trash container.

The Georgia DOT spends over $14 million each year for roadside cleanup.

According to Jim Butler, deputy code enforcement officer for the county, "We saw a reduction in roadside litter and illegal dumping during 2006. Although litter is still a problem, things should continue to improve with the curbside trash service in the city and county."

For more information about the Great American Cleanup in Lincoln County or to sign up for the event, call the county code enforcement office at 706-359-5522 or City Hall at 706-359-3239.