COLUMBUS, Ohio – With the arrival of warmer weather, Columbus city crews turn their attention from snow, ice and potholes to litter, concentrating their efforts on more than 100 locations citywide in their annual spring spruce-up.
The intensified effort to clean litter and debris from roadsides and the public right-of-way continue through May 2 and focus on 119 locations citywide, according to Department of Public Service spokesman Rick Tilton
“City of Columbus employees are working hard to send the message that our roadsides are not public trash cans. Everyone can help Columbus become a cleaner and greener city by properly disposing of trash and picking up the litter left by others,” Mayor Michael Coleman said.
Service Department crews picked up 239 tons of litter during their annual spring cleaning between 2008 and last year when Tilton says they gathered 43 tons of litter.
The workers are the same as those who drive plow and salt trucks, repair potholes, sweep streets, cut grass, remove graffiti and clean city bridge underpasses, Tilton said.
The city also attacks litter with its Keep Columbus Beautiful program, which works with neighborhood, business, church and other groups to clean litter between March and November, Tilton says.