Due to recent floods that have occurred in the area, debris and trash have been scattered throughout the community. This week, as part of the Great American Cleanup and PRIDE Spring Cleanup Month, the City of Middlesboro has been hard at work removing the debris and trash from the community.

“The flood waters have carried trash with them, but the silver lining is that cleanup will be easier now that trash is in central locations,” said Tammie Nazario, President and CEO of PRIDE, the nonprofit organization that sponsors the Spring Cleanup across 42 counties of southern and eastern Kentucky. “When we get rid of that debris, then we can enjoy our beautiful scenery and a safer environment.”

During this week, the Bell County Recycling has been utilized to process various items that have been collected during the cleanup process. The recycling center was set up in Middlesboro approximately five years ago as an effort to pull out the recyclables from the waste stream to cut down the cost of landfill and the environment.

According to Kirby Smith, Chairman of the Bell County Solid Waste District, the landfill will run out of space eventually.

“Anything we can pull out of the waste stream and reuse that is good,” Smith said. “If we can recycle it and turn it into a new product, that is good and that is what we are attempting to do.”

The month-long Spring Cleanup campaign is your chance to make your community look its best by volunteering to pick up litter along roadsides and local tourists attractions. Middlesboro Mayor Rick Nelson wants to encourage the community and groups to volunteer throughout the campaign.

Nelson also pointed out that many students need community service hours, and volunteering and cleaning the community can be one of the ways those hours add up.

“Get involved and improve on the community’s appearance,” Nelson said. “You can get together with friends and group and work together to clean up and make a difference.”

Nelson said that he would like to see Middlesboro come together and organize a citywide cleanup day.

“I want to sit down with our committees and get a day when everyone works together and cleans up the city,” he said. “It will be later in the spring, but I would like to see it organized and have a citywide cleanup day.”

Volunteers are encouraged to contact their local PRIDE coordinator after they pick up litter and dispose of it with their trash. The coordinator will add the volunteer hours to the city or county’s Spring Cleanup tally. PRIDE will recognize the region’s cities and counties with the most Spring Cleanup volunteers.

In Bell County, the PRIDE coordinators are Rob Lincks, who is the Bell County PRIDE Coordinator, and Callie Melton, who is the Pineville coordinator. Lincks can be contacted at 606-337-3076. Melton can be contacted 606-337-2958, extension 2.

For more information, please visit www.kypride.org.