Register now for a cleanup event near you or organize your own!

Spring cleaning will soon be underway in cities and counties across Hampton Roads. The country’s largest litter cleanup and beautification event, the Great American Cleanup, will take place March 22-23. Leaders of the region-wide environmental education and awareness initiative askHRgreen.org invite residents to sign up now for an event near them or organize their own. 

“Volunteering a small amount of your time to a litter cleanup and beautification project can make a big impact in your community,” said Rebekah Eastep, an askHRgreen.org team leader. “Not only is litter an eyesore, but it can also negatively impact property values and the overall quality of life we enjoy here in Hampton Roads.” 

Since launching the Great American Cleanup in 1988, Keep America Beautiful estimates that 500,000 volunteers have taken part in 15,000 community events nationwide through local affiliates and partner organizations. Community volunteers with askHRgreen.org have championed the event too, supporting the campaign in Hampton Roads for over a decade.

According to Eastep, last year more than 2,400 local volunteers participated in organized litter cleanups, collecting 2,805 bags of litter and 429 illegally dumped tires. At the end of the 2023 cleanup event, residents had cleared more than 47 tons of litter from the region—compared to 33 tons of trash recovered during the 2022 cleanup. 

Free tools available for community cleanups 

This year, there are opportunities for volunteers to clean public spaces and parks, roadways, shorelines—and their own neighborhoods. Through the askHRgreen.org Team Up 2 Clean Up program, local cleanup volunteers can receive the supplies they will need to conduct their own community cleanups. This includes litter grabbers, trash bags and safety equipment—

available not only during the Great American Cleanup, but any time of the year through askHRgreen.org. 

The region’s litter prevention team is always in need of more volunteers. While askHRgreen.org works year-round to raise awareness about the most frequently littered items in the U.S.—cigarette butts, food wrappers, beverage containers, plastic grocery bags, and straws—litter continues to be a major problem in most Hampton Roads communities.

“Litter attracts more litter. It harms our region’s natural resources, and it deters from attracting new business opportunities and visitors to our region,” said Eastep, who noted there are effortless ways to reduce litter by:    

• Securely closing trash can lids, keeping a trash bag in the car and covering truck loads.  
• Reducing the use of single-use products, such as straws, plastic cutlery, beverage and take-out containers, and by choosing reusable or low-waste alternatives instead. 
• Making sure businesses have trash cans and cigarette waste receptacles strategically placed around the premises. askHRgreen.org will even help businesses install cigarette waste receptacles at no cost through its Cigarette Waste Receptacle grant program.
• Getting involved. In addition to the Great American Cleanup, there are other local cleanup events throughout the year, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Clean the Bay Day on June 1, 2024, and the International Coastal Cleanup planned for September.  
• Participating in Adopt-a-Spot programs by rallying neighbors, friends or coworkers to routinely clear litter on the block, at school, in local parks or near the office. 

Studies confirm that beautiful places are not only environmentally healthy, but they also contribute to the region’s economy and society, while creating better places to raise families, start a business and go to school. 

“The cleanup season is just getting started, and there is plenty of work to be done,” Eastep said. “Everyone can play a role in keeping Hampton Roads clean.” 

To register for a Hampton Roads Great American Clean event, visit askhrgreen.org/cleanup. And for more info and resources for all things green, visit askHRgreen.org.

About askHRgreen.org askHRgreen.org is your go-to resource for all things green in Hampton Roads – from recycling tips and pointers for keeping local waterways clean to water-saving ideas and simple steps to make local living easy on the environment. Launched in 2011, the region-wide public awareness and education campaign is administered through the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission and powered by the following members: The cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg; the counties of Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Southampton, Surry and York; the town of Smithfield; and HRSD. Like askHRgreen.org on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram, tune in to YouTube and catch the “Let’s Talk Green” blog, written by a team of local experts.

Media Contacts:  

Rebekah Eastep, HRPDC Senior Environmental Education Planner
(757) 420-8300; [email protected]

Elizabeth Evans, Red Chalk Studios  
(757) 705-7153; [email protected]