TOWSON, MD—County Executive Johnny Olszewski is calling on Baltimore County residents and organizations to help reduce the litter that degrades our communities and threatens our waterways.

BaltCo Litter Blitz — a grassroots outreach effort that begins on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, 2023 — invites groups of any size in Baltimore County to “team up to tackle litter” by hosting community cleanups and sharing results.

“A clean Baltimore County is a healthy and thriving Baltimore County, and all are encouraged to come together and help to ensure that those who visit, live and work here are able to enjoy all of the natural beauty our communities offer, said County Executive Olszewski. “We all have a responsibility to take care of the environment, and working together to keep neighborhoods clean and waterways litter free is a win for everyone.”

Details and resources for the initiative, including a registration form, a cleanup checklist and social media toolkit, an interactive cleanup map and real-time results dashboard, are all accessible via the Baltimore County website. Groups that choose to organize a cleanup can register their events, request supplies and indicate if they are seeking volunteers, and people who wish to volunteer can find contact information to reach out to them directly.

Upon request, the County is providing contractor bags and safety gloves to registered cleanups while supplies last and trash pickups for large cleanups.

The Litter Blitz initiative, which runs through Memorial Day, is a partnership between the County Executive’s Office, Baltimore County departments – Public Works and Transportation, and Environmental Protection and Sustainability.

Long-Term Anti-Litter Programs

In addition to the one-month Litter Blitz promotion, Olszewski encourages people to participate in the County’s year-round litter collection programs, Adopt-A-Road and the Team BCPS Clean Green 15 Litter Challenge.

The County’s Adopt-a-Road program currently includes 130 groups that pick up litter along a designated section of county roadway at least four times per year. Eligible adopters include civic and nonprofit organizations, school groups, commercial and private enterprises, families and individuals.

The Team BCPS Clean Green 15 Litter Challenge allows groups who conduct a 15-minute litter cleanup to designate a Baltimore County public school to earn credit towards grants to fund school-based environmental projects like outdoor classrooms, butterfly or rain gardens and nature educational opportunities for students.