200 People Team Up To Tidy Up Wyckoff

More than 200 volunteers collected 31 bags of trash and 22 bags of recyclable materials last weekend from various locations throughout Wyckoff as part of the 26th annual Team Up Tidy Up event.

“We’re very happy with the turnout,” said Frances Piskadlo, the coordinator of Team Up Tidy Up. “We want to connect with the community, especially with the kids. Everyone here is environmentally conscious.”

Wyckoff officials stress the need to recycle and respect the environment. Besides Team Up Tidy Up, the township hosts paper shredding services, is a Sustainable Jersey certified municipality, and has been designated a Tree City by the Arbor Day Foundation. The Wyckoff Green Team, together with the Environmental Commission, helps coordinate all of the environmentally-conscious activities in town

“It’s an overall strategy of everyone working together,” said Piskadlo.

A number of Cub Scout packs and Boy and Girl Scout troops participated in Team Up Tidy Up: Boy Scout Troop 89, Cub Scout packs 110 and 210, and Girl Scout Troop 126.

As part of this year’s initiative, elementary school children created posters with the theme of saying no to plastic bags and saying yes to reusable bags. Gavin Amando, Theresa Deana, and Elizabeth Geyer came in first, second, and third place, respectively.

Additionally, middle school students created three-minute long public service announcements with the same message as the posters. Julia Wisniewski won first place in that contest.

(Pictured: People cleaning up during the event. Images courtesy of the township of Wyckoff.)