Join The Forest Preserve's 'Litter: Public Enemy No. 1' Campaign

If you are fed up with the litter that is polluting Will County and beyond, the Forest Preserve District of Will County has scheduled an event where you can get involved and make a difference at one of the District's largest preserves.

"Litter: Public Enemy No. 1 Cleanup Day" will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 31 at Hadley Valley – Gougar Road Access in Joliet. Participants will help the Forest Preserve clean up the preserve perimeter.

The event is open to all ages (ages 16 and younger must be accompanied by an adult). So bring your kids to open their eyes to the importance of keeping preserved open space free of debris. All are welcome, but please RSVP in advance. Bring work gloves and a reusable water bottle and wear closed-toe shoes. Registration is required by Friday, July 30. Call 815.722.7364.

Free pickers
As part of the larger "Litter: Public Enemy No. 1" summer campaign, the Forest Preserve is also giving away free pickers at five visitor centers to the first 100 people who request them.

Pickers can be obtained at: Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon, Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville, Monee Reservoir in Monee Township, Plum Creek Nature Center in Crete Township and Sugar Creek Administration Center in Joliet.

If you have a Forest Preserve picker and you sign up for the July 31 cleanup event, bring the picker with you. If you can't make the group cleanup event, the pickers can be used in preserves or neighborhoods at any time because litter knows no boundaries and every little bit of litter pickup helps the ecosystem at large.

Romeoville woman joins the campaign
One of the first people to nab a picker was Rachel Cairo of Romeoville, who posted a short video on Facebook showing the garbage she picked up with it during a recent hike at Isle a la Cache preserve. She found a plastic drinking cup, gum and cough drop wrappers, a Mylar balloon, two different muddy flip flops, a plastic bag and used tissues.

"You name it, it's out there," she said. Cairo also had some advice for preserve visitors. "People, don't leave this garbage out in the woods, all right. Do your part and try to keep this world a nicer place."

More and more people are snapping up the pickers at the five Forest Preserve sites.

"We're quite pleased with the response that we've seen to our litter campaign online as well as those that have picked up a litter picker at our visitor facilities," said Ralph Schultz, the Forest Preserve's executive director.

"Our hope is that these inspired folks will not only help out in our forest preserves but also lend a hand and remove the litter they see in their neighborhoods, public parks and school grounds. The more of us that pitch in, the better off the environment will be for everyone."

Raising awareness
In addition to the cleanup day and the picker giveaway, the "Litter: Public Enemy No. 1" campaign that was launched on June 22 is designed to raise public awareness.

The campaign features social media posts and stories including: Problems caused by litter and costs associated with it, different types of litter and their environmental impacts, problems caused by plastic and the various ways individuals can help. The stories are being published at on the Big Picture section at ReconnectWithNature.org.

The "Litter: Public Enemy No. 1" campaign follows the District's award-winning 2019 "Don't Be a Jerk" series that was designed to promote better behavior in the preserves.