Over 600 volunteers turned out Saturday for the start of the Great American Cleanup, which will continue from March until May.

Karen Key of Keep Covington/Newton Beautiful was pleased with the turnout, urging the community to join the fight against litter.

“This is totally preventable,” she said of the trash collecting on roadsides across the county. “Your tax dollars are having to pay to clean this up, so you can throw your litter out the window but you’re paying for it one way or the other.”
She also expressed gratitude to Mamie’s Kitchen, for providing hundreds of biscuits to hungery volunteers, and Longhorn Steakhouse, for donating space and bottled water.

“We appreciate all the volunteers who came out today,” added Laurie Reilly, also of KCNB.

KCNB won’t have a final tally of tons of garbage collected until May. Anyone interested in joining future cleanups throughout the spring can call 770-784-2015.