Community is getting a little cleaner this Saturday

With all the challenges going viral on TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook, here's a challenge we can all get behind. This Saturday marks the annual worldwide event to Trash The Trash, and local families are getting involved.

According to Worldbank.org, the world generates more than 2 billion tons of waste annually. However, that number accounts for trash that is tracked either through incineration, composting, recycling, or landfills. It does not include trash that is discarded in oceans, rivers, or on the streets. In the United States alone, the EPA reports that each person is responsible for, on average, just under five pounds of trash each day! Unfortunately, not all of that trash ends up being discarded properly. It can be seen locally in the DuPage River, in all of our beautiful forest preserves, and along highways and streets including Route 59 and Route 52.

Enter the new Trash Your Trash Challenge. This idea came from a Scouting Troop in Helena, Montana. Troop 1206 realized that Scouts across the world often engage in community enrichment acts daily, and sometimes they even participate in similar activities at the same time. This annual challenge was born of the idea that if Scouts from across the world can work together doing the same thing at the same time, they can move mountains. Of trash, literally.

In 2015, Scouts removed a mere 103 bags of trash from local environments. Fast forward to 2020 when Scouts removed an impressive 4,682 bags of trash from local communities. This year, the challenge is growing! Scouts from all over, from your backyard in Plainfield, Shorewood, Frankfort, and Joliet to Sri Lanka and Australia will engage in a Trash The Trash day this Saturday, May 1.

Frankfort based Pack 101 got a jump on the Trash The Trash event on April 18, cleaning up Woodlawn Pond and Community Park Pond near Frankfort Square School Park with just twelve Scouts. The group of 27, Scouts and parents, spent just two hours and removed a total of 17 bags of trash!

Local Pack 256 invite the community to join this global event by picking up 2.2 pounds of trash per person wherever you are located this Saturday, May 1 to help clean up our community. As the weather turns and people start to emerge from months of pandemic-induced isolation, this challenge is an excellent way to move our bodies and enrich our souls with positivity as community members and youth join forces to create a better environment for tomorrow.

If you can participate, remember to be careful. Wear protective clothing, and dispose of trash collected properly. When posting on social media, use the hashtag #Trashthetrash. Those unable to participate can watch how the community can do great things when we all work together!