PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Marking Earth Day on Saturday, SOLVE is hosting its spring cleanup at Portland’s Park Blocks.
Volunteer registration is open and Oregonians of all ages are welcome to join. SOLVE provides volunteers with gloves and bags, however the non-profit asks volunteers to bring their own for sustainability.
“It’s just important to get out on Earth Day and to take care of our environment, especially in Oregon. We love our beautiful public spaces and so we just want to make sure that everyone’s getting out and cleaning up,” SOLVE CEO Kris Carico said.
The organization, which began in 1969, hosts statewide cleanups across the state — picking up microplastics at more than 100 sites from the coast to urban neighborhoods.
“Microplastics are a huge problem. Plastics break down and they turn into microplastics which end up in our waterways, in our food system and we ultimately end up ingesting it if we’re eating fish,” Carico explained.
In 2022, SOLVE picked up almost one million pounds of trash, Carico said.
Carico added, “it’s very satisfying to see what just a couple of hours of work can do and what a community can do.”