Don't Mess with Texas Trash-Off Volunteers to Search for Columbia Debris During Weekend Cleanup
- 04.03.03
(AUSTIN) Many of the more than 100,000 volunteers for the April 5 Don't Mess with Texas Trash-Off will have a special assignment as they fan out to rid roadsides and communities of cigarette butts, soda cans and fast food wrappers.
NASA has asked volunteers for the Saturday event to be on the lookout for debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia while picking up litter. Volunteers in the following counties should be especially observant for shuttle remnants: Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Ellis, Freestone, Henderson, Houston, Johnson, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith and Tarrant.
"We were all deeply saddened by the Columbia accident, and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will assist NASA with its recovery in any way we can," said TxDOT Travel Division Director Doris Howdeshell.
With spring in bloom, NASA officials want to recover as much material as possible from the February 1 accident before it is obscured by growing vegetation. Texans participating in the Don't Mess with Texas Trash-Off in the 16 core counties should report any suspected debris by calling, toll-free, (866) 446-6603.
"We are very grateful to the Texas Department of Transportation for the support they have provided to us during this difficult time, and we appreciate the willingness of the Trash-Off participants to keep their eyes open for possible Columbia material as they conduct their cleanup," said Allen Flynt, NASA emergency response director at Lufkin.
Co-sponsored by TxDOT and Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB), the Don't Mess with Texas Trash-Off is the Lone Star State's largest one-day cleanup. Volunteers for this year's event include the members of 1,350 Adopt-a-Highway groups and more than 100 KTB communities. Adopt-a-Highway groups will be in charge of highway cleanup, while KTB volunteers' focal point will be neighborhoods, city streets and parks.
"This year KTB is proud to celebrate its 10th anniversary participating in the Don't Mess with Texas Trash-Off," said KTB Executive Director Stacy Cantu. "It is important that our roadsides remain clean—it's safer for drivers and better for tourism. But it's also an educational experience. After you spend a day picking up other people's trash, you're less likely to litter again and more likely to tell others not to litter."
TxDOT's Don't Mess with Texas public education campaign began in 1986 and has helped decrease the state's roadside litter by 52 percent since 1995.
For more information about the Don't Mess with Texas Trash-Off and Adopt-a-Highway, visit www.DontMessWithTexas.org.
For a complete list of community events or volunteer information, contact KTB at 1-800-CLEAN-TX or visit www.ktb.org.
To learn more about NASA's Columbia recovery operation, visit www.nasa.gov.
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The 16th Annual Don't Mess with Texas Trash-Off is the premiere statewide event of the Great American Cleanup, sponsored by Keep America Beautiful. Great American Cleanup activities, including litter prevention, waste minimization, beautification and community improvement projects, will be held across the nation through the end of May.
