MANY GROUPS WORK TO HELP TO MAKE MORRIS PLAINS LITTER FREE

This fall 12 scout, school and volunteer groups went out and scoured the streets of Morris Plains to pick up trash and recyclables left along our roadways and in our open spaces. Over 200 kids and adults participated. They are all part of the State’s Clean Communities mini-grant program. The groups included Borough School’s 8th grade, Girl Scout Troops 402, 223, 5081, 4904 and 4903; Boy Scout Troop 39 and Cub Scout Troop 233; the Morristown High School Boys Soccer Boosters, Girls Tennis Club and Swim Team; and the Morris Plains Teen Center. Later this year Girl Scout Troops 1644 and 271 will be doing special clean-ups to be sure the downtown is litter free for the holidays. During this one period alone an estimated 1100 pounds of trash was collected along with 180 pounds of recyclables. Candy wrappers and glass and plastic bottles and cups were dropped along the streets. But it was found that much of the trash became wind-blown to end up caught in wooded areas and at the fence lines along the busiest roads and in the parks. If only people would take that extra step to put trash in a bin, or just take it home to dispose of it, the problem would be solved. In addition to all the fall cleanups, the town is pleased to announce that the 6th and 8th grades from Borough School have made a special commitment to sweep both Community and Simones Parks four times during the year as part of the new Morris Plains Adopt-a-Park program. Clean Communities is a State-wide grant program funded through the NJ Clean Communities Council. It’s a comprehensive, litter-abatement program created by the passage of the Clean Communities Act in 1986. The Act provides a funding source for the program by placing a tax on fifteen categories of businesses that may produce litter-generating products. Municipalities and counties programs to cleanup and educate. Residents putting items at the curb can help curb the litter problem by picking up any loose trash before it blows away. Also, using lids on trash and recycling containers to prevent the wind from blowing materials out of the receptacles and flattening corrugated cardboard boxes and stack them into one unflattened box. We want to thank all those that participate in the Clean Communities program to help keep Morris Plains litter free! For more information about the Morris Plains Clean Communities program residents can go to the Borough of Morris Plains Web Site at http://www.morrisplainsboro.org/ or contact the Municipal Clean Communities Coordinator, Ellie Falco at (973) 538-9103. Photo Captions: 1-4 1: Borough School 8th graders had a beautiful sunny day to clean up all around the train overpass and down the Speedwell Avenue Extension. Just look at the bags of trash they picked up. Pictured (l to r) in the top row: Charlotte Ribaudo, Kate McGotty, Natalia Vega, Connor Manion, Marc Dilluvio, and Evan Jinks. In the middle row: Casey McNichol, Sarah Chupak, Jillian Gaudioso, Christina Rosamond, Ava Plott, and Jessica Kenneweg. In the bottom row: Olivia Sgaramella, Rebecca Snyder, and Caroline Manion. 2: The girls of Troop #2903 went out to pick up trash and recyclable along all of Moutain Way and had a good time, too! Pictured at the bottom (l to r) are Cricket VanderPloeg and Lucia Ripa. At the top (l to r) are Seleyna Bautista, Keira Riley, and Logan VanderPloeg. 3: Cub Scout Troop #233 and friends pictured as they work their way down Malapardis in Morris Plains. Left to right are: Mario Ripa, Natalie Merendino, Luke Merendino, Jordan Soliman, Daniel Cama (kneeling), Shiven Joshi, Evan Bautista, Seleyna Bautista, and Armaan Joshi. They did a great job with their clean-up area! 4: The Morristown High School Swim Team picked up trash at Watnong Park and all along the Speedwell Extension and Grannis Avenue in Morris Plains. Zack Crowe is shown working deep in the woods of Watnong Park.