Fort Worth to pick up trash during annual cleanup Saturday

Fort Worth is ready to take out the trash.

Keep Fort Worth Beautiful is looking to add more volunteers to the already record-breaking 8,500 who are registered for the Cowtown Great American Cleanup on Saturday.

Last year, 5,500 volunteers picked up 52 tons of garbage and debris and cleaned 238 miles of roadways and 102 miles of waterways.

“Registration is the highest it’s ever been, so we hope that translates into people who actually come out Saturday,” said Debbie Branch, the city staff coordinator for Keep Fort Worth Beautiful.

About half of the registered volunteers in Saturday’s event, which runs from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. are youths, Branch said, which is one of the primary goals of the cleanup day — to teach youths the importance of not littering.

“My big goal is to involve as many youth as possible. My mantra is that the litter cleanup itself can be kind of disheartening, because a big group goes out and cleans it up and then next week it has litter again,” Branch said.

The weather for Saturday should be perfect: The forecast is sunny with a high of 83 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

In its 30th year, the Cowtown Cleanup is Fort Worth’s largest litter cleanup. After the cleanup, a free outdoor festival hosted by the city and Keep Fort Worth Beautiful will celebrate Earth Day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Magnolia Green Park, 1201 Lipscomb St.

This year’s Earth Party features Melanie, one of the original Woodstock performers, according to a city news release. The Fort Worth-based stomp band Vocal Trash, a crowd favorite, will also perform on a solar-powered stage.

The event also includes a recycled fashion show organized by students from Pascal High School.

“One of our strategic goals is make Fort Worth a cleaner, more attractive city,” said Mayor Pro Tem Sal Espino at this week’s City Council meeting, praising the event.

In a presentation to the council, Brandon Bennett, director of code compliance, said the city’s litter program is shared among departments. Parks and Community Services covers medians, Transportation and Public Works covers streets, and Code Compliance is responsible for holding private property owners accountable.

The Tarrant Regional Water District and the city’s storm water fund also take part in litter education and prevention, because litter eventually finds its way into local water sources.

Bennett said the city also relies heavily on volunteers to abate litter.

This story was originally published March 26, 2015 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Fort Worth to pick up trash during annual cleanup Saturday."