From land to water, Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful has been hanging around trash for 40 years — picking it up and recycling it, that is.

Executive coordinator Lynne Hart Tuesday gave community members a roundup of the organization’s activities for the last year at the annual Appreciation Breakfast.

The organization that started as a little control group now has 818 volunteers who put in a total of 5,596 hours of labor just this year and have removed 12,510 pounds of trash so far.

KALB branched out to include a beautification board and recycling program in their efforts to keep the environment clean. Hart said that while schools are still providing plenty of material for recycling, the amount is actually declining.

“We’re down from last year because they’re using less paper,” Hart said. “But that’s OK. We’re saving trees. We like that.”

Making strides through education

Though cleaning litter, recycling and awarding various business plaques for beautification are important, Hart said KALB’s main goal is education.

Working with the community and providing resources is one thing, but Hart said the organization visits local 4-H Clubs and plays games such as Jeopardy with them to help them learn the importance of trash disposal and recycling.

“They think they’re having fun but we know better,” she said. “They’re learning.”

Hart spreads her focus to more than just 4-H’ers — she goes to preschools to start educating kids on the importance of the environment.

From young to old and in-between, Hart’s mission on education is being accomplished. She showed a picture of the grounds at Athens State University during the Old Time Fiddler’s Convention with little to no trash on the ground.

“We have volunteers who hand out litter bags and remind people it’s a litter-free event,” she said, adding she knows a lot of people who are now bringing their own bags. “People are starting to get it. Not only are people utilizing those bags, tying them to their chairs as they listen to the competitions, but now the Cub Scouts come and help pick up trash. This is a teaching opportunity because it helps people change their habits.”

Be it wet lands or dry, KALB has made a point to keep the area clean. This year’s Elk River Cleanup in March brought out 57 volunteers who picked up 7,380 pounds — almost double last year’s amount, Hart said.

As Hart spoke about the river cleanup, a picture of a large pile of trash that volunteers rounded up was projected behind her.

“At first we were discouraged, but then we realized the places we were attacking last year weren’t as bad,” she said.

Current project

KALB is using a $20,000 grant from Keep America Beautiful and Lowe’s Corporate to landscape and replace the side of the historic Scout House in downtown Athens.

“This is an excellent project,” Hart said. “(The Scout House) is part of the Athens Arts League and will be the music piece to go with High Cotton Arts.”