Local & State Headlines

Residents clean Albany streets

• The area's annual Stash the Trash event begins for city and county residents today at 9 a.m.

Joshua Brown

ALBANY — ALBANY — Albany government employees hit the streets Friday to kick off the annual Stash the Trash campaign.

The citywide beautification effort is part of the national program by Keep America Beautiful, said Project Manager Laverne Levins.

“We’re doing the Great American Cleanup,” she said. “This is really, basically, to set an example. We want the citizens to be environmentally responsible and clean the environment up, but the government is setting the example.”

About 100 government employees showed up Friday morning to clean up several sites. About 65 teams are scheduled to canvass the city today beginning at 9 a.m., Levins said.

Friday morning, volunteers could be seen strolling down Pine Avenue with trash poles to help them pick up trash from the street and public areas.

Albany Fire Chief James Carswell, who volunteered Friday, said he, as a department head, wanted to set an example for the city and county’s residents in keeping the community clean.

“Obviously as one of the department heads in the city, if we don’t set the example, how can we expect our employees or citizens to do so,” he said. “The attractiveness of the city is something that benefits all our citizens.”

While Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful has several cleanup programs, such as the adopt-an-area program, Levins said Stash the Trash is one way to help raise awareness about the need to keep the environment clean.

Anyone who wants to help today can be at the intersection of Central and Mulberry Avenues at 9 a.m. to go out with a group of volunteers, she said.

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