RENO, NV (Sept.4, 2013) – Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful volunteers found the Truckee Meadows slightly cleaner than in 2012 during the KTMB Litter Survey tonight, but key areas prone to litter – northeast Reno, Spanish Springs and Sun Valley – showed great improvement. Pyramid Way, another hot spot for blown trash and illegal dumping, fell from a 4 – the top of the scale, meaning “illegal dump sites present” – all the way down to a 1.5.
“We have a lot of caring people in our community who have noticed trash in their neighborhoods and are really stepping up to make our home better for everyone,” said KTMB executive director Christi Cakiroglu. “With programs like the KTMB Litter Survey, we can also raise awareness about the wide-ranging health and economic impacts litter and illegal dumping have on our community.”
Unfortunately, many open space areas like Golden Valley, Hidden Valley and Keystone Canyon had more trash than in previous years. Still, they are improving from the first year KTMB tracked open space areas, when they were all classified as illegal dump sites.
“Through coalitions like the Illegal Dumping Task Force, we move beyond cleanups and offer community education and economic alternatives,” said KTMB Program Manager Jaime Souza. “As an organization, Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful mobilizes thousands of volunteers to clean up litter and dump sites, but if we want to be a truly healthy community, we have to help residents understand the real drain on our economy and quality of life these problems create.”
The KTMB Litter Survey provides data to local municipalities as well as Keep America Beautiful’s national Litter Survey. With this data, city and county agencies can pinpoint problem litter, graffiti and dumping areas and better use and secure funding. Areas to survey are chosen to reflect population and land use, and are rated on a 1-to-4 scale, with 1 meaning “virtually no litter observed” and 4 meaning “illegal dump sites present”.
The KTMB Litter Survey is supported by a grant from The Thelma B. and Thomas P. Hart Foundation.
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Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful is private nonprofit supported by community donations dedicated to creating a cleaner, more beautiful region through education and active community involvement. To find out how you can help, call 851.5185 or visit www.ktmb.org.
