May the spirit of the sweep be with you. With one more weekend to go on Emporia Clean Sweep, it’s time for that extra push, but Emporia’s Clean Sweep doesn’t have to end after this weekend is over.
Emporia Clean Sweep soon will be in its fourth and final weekend and so far has accepted many tons of trash, debris, waste and tires — essentially everything including the kitchen sink. The final days will be Friday and Saturday.
The tremendous response from the community through Emporia Clean Sweep is an act that the city can be proud of. The drop-off sites have been scenes of neighbors helping neighbors in an effort to make the community we live, work and play in more presentable and beautiful.
But, is it enough? Some say “no” as trash is seen lying around different parts of the city and as trash blows across the street or lingers behind a downtown business. Emporia Clean Sweep is a community-wide effort, and a darn good one. But another step must be taken.
If you drop trash in the street, pick it up. If you see trash as you walk on a sidewalk, take it to the nearest trash can. Yes, maybe you weren’t the one who put that trash there, but we all live and work here and all should chip in to the beautification of the city.
Also, the lessons learned from Emporia Clean Sweep should be employed all year long. Rather than letting trash pile around, it should be taken care of before it gets out of hand and before the city needs to put on a city-wide effort to clean up Emporia.
So, one more weekend remains, but don’t forget that the spirit of Emporia Clean Sweep can be with us all throughout the year.
Brandy Nance
Reporter