The annual Earth Day cleanup is returning to the city of Bayonne.
Mayor Jimmy Davis announced that he and the Bayonne City Council are inviting community members and groups to take part in a citywide Earth Day cleanup,which will take place in Bayonne on Saturday, April 18.
“Earth Day 2020 will provide residents a great opportunity to volunteer to clean up and beautify our city,” Mayor Davis said in a statement. “It’s a day when we can work together building community spirit and a cleaner city.”
The event is much needed in Bayonne, as garbage and debris can be seen on many sidewalks, parking lots, and in other areas across the city.
“There was an impressive turnout of volunteers throughout the community for the Earth Day cleanup in 2019,” Davis said. “I look forward to a continuation of that spirit in 2020.”
City officials are inviting individuals, community organizations, and other volunteers to sign up to clean a specific area of the community. Interested organizations and individuals are invited to register as a team.
Team effort
People can either form a team to participate, or the organizers can place individuals on a team near where they live. Since the inception of the Earth Day cleanup in 2017, various teams, local businesses, and community groups have taken part.
From 10 a.m. to noon, the teams will go to their assigned areas of the city, collecting any garbage and debris in sight.
“We would like to encourage all of them to sign up again for the 2020 cleanup,” Davis said. “We would also welcome new groups and individuals to join in the Earth Day activities.”
Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to register as soon as possible, in order to get a designated cleanup area.
The Bayonne Nature Club frequently conducts shoreline cleanups throughout Bayonne. However, no other cleanups occur on a citywide scale other than the Earth Day event.
The event is a once-a-year opportunity to cleanse the Bayonne community of trash and debris littering public areas.
The Department of Public Works is coordinating the cleanup with the Bayonne Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ).
For more information or to register, call Camille Burgos or Dee Dee Bottino at the UEZ Office at 201-858-6357 or email cburgos@baynj.org.
In addition to the annual cleanup, the city has been making other efforts to become more environmentally friendly. The City Council passed an ordinance that banned the distribution of single-use plastic bags at retail establishments starting in January of this year.
For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Dan Israel can be reached at disrael@hudsonreporter.com.
