PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — On Saturday, September 17, there will be more than 100 cleanup sites across the state of Oregon for the annual SOLVE Fall Beach and Riverside Cleanup.
Volunteers can sign up to go to the beach or spend time in Portland cleaning up the city.
Barry Pack, who is the director of the Oregon Lottery, said almost 1.5 million pounds of trash have been collected since the lottery started sponsoring this event nearly 25 years ago.
“It’s a great chance for Oregonians all across the state to volunteer their time,” Pack said. “There’s over a hundred projects all over the state and we’re proud to help support the restoration of our natural resources and our parks.”
He noted Oregon voters approved dedicating a portion of lottery funds to preserving parks and natural wild spaces.
“I think it’s just the nature of Oregonians to want to live in a beautiful environment and the partnership with SOLVE is a great way for the lottery to extend that commitment from Oregonians to clean up our beaches and our rivers,” he said.
Sign Up: List of Sites for the Beach and Riverside Cleanup
SOLVE Director Kris Carico said they want to make the clean ups even more environmentally friendly.
“This year we are really trying to focus on sustainability,” Carico told KOIN 6 News. “We really want people to come out with their own buckets, bags, anything that they can use to collect trash so that it cuts down on the use of plastic.”
This annual event is a great volunteer opportunity for everyone, especially families.
“It’s very easy, it’s very safe, it’s a great way to just clean up all kinds of plastic and litter across our rivers and beaches,” Pack said.
Join KOIN and SOLVE at Irving Park
“Kids can come out. We have places that have litter grabbers for them to take but it’s easy for families to come out and walk the beach,” Carico said. “It’s a really safe way to get out with your family.”