Covington part of Saturday’s statewide cleanup

COVINGTON, Ky. – Volunteers will fan out in Covington’s neighborhoods on Saturday to pick up litter while getting exercise during the second-annual “Plogging Across the Bluegrass” event.

There’s still time to register for the event, whose name employs the semantic merger of the Swedish term “plocka upp” (meaning “to pick up”) and the English word “jogging.”

The event combines camaraderie and community, said Sheila Fields, manager of the City’s Solid Waste & Recycling Division, which is partnering with the non-profit Keep Covington Beautiful to host the event.

“It’s an opportunity to get out in your community with others in a fun event for a good purpose,” Fields said. “This will be happening in at least 20 communities across Kentucky through the Keep Kentucky Beautiful group, and organizers hope one day it spreads to all 120 counties.”

This year’s event in Covington runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Getting involved

Participants should register at Plogging Across the Bluegrass signup and indicate the neighborhood they’ll be participating in and whether they’re participating as a team or individual. You can target any space in a neighborhood that needs litter removed, including streets, sidewalks, medians, and storm drains.

Contact KCB Program Manager Mallory McDaniel at mallory@greatneighborhoods.org or call (859) 412-2142 if you need supplies like gloves, garbage bags, and “grabber” tools.

Note that some neighborhoods already have organized events that you can join, with some of those published on the Keep Covington Beautiful Facebook page.

KCB coordinators will visit neighborhood events on Saturday to dole out encouragement and Ale8, which is a sponsor for the statewide effort alongside the Kentucky Guild of Brewers  and the Kentucky Beverage Association.

During and after

After your cleanup, email mallory@greatneighborhoods.org with the count of filled bags. If you need them picked up, call (859) 412-2142 to arrange a Monday pickup time.

Be sure to take pictures during your cleanup. If you post on social media, use hashtags

 #ploggingacrossthebluegrass #kentucky #littercleanup #plogging #plasticpollution #doyourpart.

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