Keep Allen Beautiful collected 131 tons of litter and recyclables in 2016 – that’s roughly the same weight as fifty Ford 150 pickup trucks!
Dr. Susan Ponder, chair of the Keep Allen Beautiful (KAB) board, reported on the organization’s efforts during the Feb. 28 council meeting. Successes included:
- 9,100 kids and 2,600 adults participated in at least one environmental education program, covering topics such as recycling, litter, pollution and illegal dumping
- 148 cleanup events were held using supplies provided by KAB
- 37 groups participated in the Adopt-a-Highway/Waterway/Spot program
- 282 miles of Allen roadways and 37 square miles of adopted public areas were cleaned by volunteers
- 11,162 books were collected during the Kids Helping Kids book drive
- 4,200 shoes were collected during the Reuse-a-Shoe contest
- 47 trees were sold during KAB’s Trees for Allen fundraiser; another 83 were planted in underserved neighborhoods
- 2,958 residents recycled or safely disposed of items during Allen Recycles Day and the Great American Cleanup
- 182 visitors were given a tour of CWD’s recycling processing facility
These efforts earned Keep Allen Beautiful several awards in 2016, including the $250,000 Governor’s Achievement Award from Keep Texas Beautiful. The money will be used for a highway beautification project in Allen.
KAB sponsors environmentally-focused programs and events to promote a cleaner, healthier and more beautiful community. The board is supported by more than 2,500 volunteers and several city staff members from Allen’s waste services division.