On Friday, April 24th, over 200 volunteers dispersed throughout Babylon to take part in the Town’s campaign to clean roadways and public spaces of litter in a celebration of community pride, collecting 12,290 pounds of garbage (or the weight of a full grown male elephant). This anti-litter campaign coordinated by Supervisor Rich Schaffer, Beautification Director Florence Findley and Assistant Deputy County Executive Tim Sini, all of whom were concerned about unsightly refuse appearing in the community. Supervisor Schaffer, Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez and Assistant Deputy County Executive Tim Sini took part in the clean-up themselves, helping with efforts on Sylvan Road, Colonial Springs Road and Santapogue Creek respectively.
“Littering not only decreases our quality of life and brings down property values but also has a significant negative impact on community morale,” said Supervisor Schaffer. “I was proud to join with so many volunteers, including dozens of Town employees, to help do our part in cleaning unsightly trash from our cherished Town. I strongly encourage all residents to do their part to help reduce litter in our area as we continue to keep Babylon beautiful.”
A kick-off breakfast was held at Town Hall in Lindenhurst, where volunteers consisting of Town employees and officials, PSEG employees, students from Deer Park High School and Suffolk Community College, representatives from local 7-11 establishments, and various community organizations were grouped into teams and assigned areas throughout the Town, including along Montauk Highway, Straight Path, New Highway, and Ketcham’s Creek. Following the clean-up, volunteers were treated to a barbeque lunch donated by Outback Steakhouse. All garbage collected was weighed by the Town’s Department of Public Works and at the end of the day, over 12,000 pounds, or 6 tons, of litter was removed from ten sites throughout the Town.
The anti-litter campaign is a component of the Town of Babylon’s Beautification Program, which organizes numerous initiatives including Adopt-a-Highway, Adopt-a-Spot, and Global Youth Service Day.