Statewide Pickup Challenge “Grag A Bag SC” Launched in Laurens County

Despite the cold and damp weather, a large crowd gathered at the Laurens County Airport on Wednesday, March 30^th for the statewide launch of the litter pick up campaign “Grab A Bag SC.”

This is the fourth annual litter pickup campaign championed by Evette and coordinated in part with SC Department of Transportation and PalmettoPride. Citizens are encouraged to join the initiative in their own community and share their efforts on social media using #GrabABagSC.

Lt. Governor Pamela Evette kicked off the Grab A Bag SC spring campaign encouraging everyone to lead by example. “Litter prevention is about citizens taking ownership of their neighborhoods and making sure that trash is put in its place before it can become litter,” said Lt. Governor Evette. “But while there is still litter, we must pick it up. Citizens, governments, and business industries all have a part to play in changing the culture that leads to litter.”

In addition to the Lt. Governor, the kickoff event included Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall, Laurens County Council Chair Brown Patterson, Keep Laurens County Beautiful Coordinator Courtney Stonell, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Policy for Duke Energy South Carolina Heather Shirley Smith, and PalmettoPride Executive Director Sarah Lyles.

“Every time we can engage citizens in litter prevention – whether that is cleaning up or educating our neighbors – we are moving closer to a litter-free SC,” says Lyles.

SC Department of Transportation annual spring cleanup will coincide with Grab A Bag SC. Twice a year, SCDOT holds a statewide, agency-wide litter-pickup. They urge all motorists to stash their trash until reaching their destination where it can be disposed of properly.

“The South Carolina Department of Transportation is once again honored to support Lt. Governor Pamela Evette’s Grab A Bag SC event,” says Hall. “Today, SCDOT employees – from Headquarters to all our county offices – are joining together to pick up roadside litter. This is agency-wide event we hold one day each spring and fall because we firmly believe that litter has no place on our beautiful highways in this great state.”

For the 2022 Grab A Bag SC kickoff, Keep Laurens County Beautiful (KLCB) was selected as a co-host due to the county’s extensive efforts to enhance their litter prevention and cleanup initiatives, including a new affiliation with Keep America Beautiful. Laurens County Council was awarded with a PalmettoPride Leaders Against Litter recognition in 2021. Courtney Stonell, KLCB Affiliate Coordinator, expresses her excitement by adding, “what a great opportunity to highlight Laurens County and the work we are doing here, like so many other counties. If everyone will participate and continue joint efforts, we can make such a huge impact across our beautiful state.”

County Council Chair, Brown Patterson echoed Stonell’s sentiments in his remarks.  “It was fantastic to see such a crowd at the Grab-a-Bag event today! The strong community support is what it takes to clean up our county,” said Patterson. “Our “Keep Laurens County Beautiful” initiative has already been extremely successful. I’m grateful for the City of Clinton, Fountain Inn and Laurens for participating in Keep Laurens County Beautiful campaign. I look forward to great things to come!”

Duke Energy has been a leader in environmental efforts in South Carolina, providing necessary grant assistance for hundreds of projects across the state. The company joined the Grab A Bag SC campaign kickoff to present a grant check in the amount of $100,000 to PalmettoPride funding litter prevention efforts through the Keep SC Beautiful network.

“We think it’s important to work alongside our community partners to ensure all of the beautiful places in South Carolina can be enjoyed for years to come,” says Mike Callahan, Duke Energy South Carolina state president. “The organizations these funds support will aid in the protection of the environment and provide communities with much-needed resources to promote good stewardship of the natural beauty around us.”

For more information on PalmettoPride, contact [email protected].

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