By: Claire Tribble
On June 12, we held what has now become an annual litter cleanup with the Athens First Methodist Church 6th grade vacation Bible school class. This class volunteers with different nonprofits throughout the week. We were very fortunate that they chose to work with Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful for one of their service days. We love working with youth groups like this, because this is the age when our lessons really sink in, but we also have a lot of fun!
Last year, we chose to work in the Jack’s and Dollar General areas at Pryor Street and Highway 31. We spent a lot of our time trying to get around a stalled train, so this year, we chose a spot that was within walking distance of the church. After working in the empty lot beside the United Way last year, I learned that gravel is quite the camouflage. So that is where we decided to meet. Nine fantastic upcoming 6th graders and their three leaders met me there and we got busy. It didn’t take long, and a wonderful man came out with a case of water for the group!
Don’t be fooled by our three bags, they were full! While we had a few large things like a piece of carpet, a box, a few bottles, our bags were mostly full of small pieces of Styrofoam, food wrappers, and smashed aluminum cans. You have no idea how much of those types of things that it takes to fill a bag. Our largest find of the day was a homemade sled, which was fitting considering we were on Ice Pick Hill. This sled was made from a sheet of aluminum siding and a section of an aluminum ladder. It still had some small pieces of plywood seat attached, and even the handle. I took it to be recycled, but I bet that sucker was fast.
The most fun was probably getting the sheets of Styrofoam wrap out of the trees. There were a few small scrub trees towards the back of the lot that looked like the trees at Toomer’s Corner after an Auburn win. Thankfully, these trees were still young enough that they were flexible. Once we got our hands on the right limbs, the kids got every single piece that was wrapped around them. There were several pieces that had been through a windstorm or two.
It was sunny and hot, but we had a great time, and the kids were amazing! We love to get the call every year for this cleanup, and we would love to add more! And we can schedule for any time of the year; the cooler the better! We look forward to this again next year with another amazing group, maybe we can even find a shady spot!
By: Claire Tribble – Executive Director, Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful
June 20, 2025
