Tag Archive for: #vancecountyappearancecommission

Vance County Logo

Adopt-A-Highway Volunteers Needed to Tackle Local Litter Problem

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, Vance County Appearance Commission

The Vance County Appearance Commission is seeking help from citizens in our community to join together to improve the appearance of Henderson and Vance County.

We can all help with this endeavor by doing some small and easy things like throwing trash in proper receptacles, recycling appropriate items and doing what we can to keep the property around our homes and businesses as clean and orderly as possible.

Through the years, we have found that citizens joining the N.C. Adopt-A-Highway Program have made a real difference in improving the appearance of our community with their efforts. Groups who join the Adopt-A-Highway Program simply commit to cleaning up a two-mile stretch of a roadside in our county at least four times each year and report their clean-up efforts to the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT).

Officials with NCDOT will post signs at each end of the adopted section of roadside with the Adopt-A-Highway group’s name on the signs to show their participation in the program. The local Adopt-A-Highway coordinator will work with each group to record their efforts and ensure they have the proper materials, including safety vests, gloves and bags for trash and recyclables, for cleanups.

Individuals and groups joining the Adopt-A-Highway must sign a contract with NCDOT agreeing to remove litter from their adopted roadside a minimum of four times each year. Contracts initially are for four years and can be renewed at the end of the four-year period and if the required number of cleanups have been completed. Volunteers in the Adopt-A-Highway Program also receive safety training.

To become involved in the N.C. Adopt-A-Highway Program, interested persons may visit the N.C. Department of Transportation website at https://apps.ncdot.gov/LM/ or call 1-800-331-5864 for information on the program and how to contact the local program coordinator.

We have about 60 Adopt-A-Highway groups now in Vance County, but we hope local citizens will get involved to create more participating groups to help deal with the roadside litter problems we have in our county. Such efforts would greatly enhance our work to improve the appearance of Vance County.

Our County Appearance Commission also continues to work with county officials to increase recycling efforts in households and businesses, clean up abandoned and unkept properties and encourage the Sheriff’s Department to hire a full-time litter control officer.

To deal with our littering, illegal dumping and abandoned properties issues in an effective manner, it will take all of us working together.

Reminder: Vance Co. Hazardous Waste Collection & Recycling Event Next Sat.!

/by

-Information and flyer courtesy the Vance County Appearance Commission

The annual Vance County Household Hazardous Waste Collection and Recycling Day event will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the City Operations Center at 900 South Beckford Drive in Henderson. The event is free and open to all residents of Vance County.

The event provides a safe and responsible way for local residents to dispose of unwanted old paints, insecticides and pesticides, as well as old medications, televisions and computer hardware. It also provides a way for residents to securely shred unwanted or old personal documents and properly recycle appropriate household items.

Residents can simply bring their materials for disposal and recycling to the event on April 27, and volunteers will be on hand to assist in unloading the items from residents’ vehicles and getting them to the proper vendor.

Vendors scheduled to be on hand at the event include:

  • Ecoflow and N.C. Department of Agriculture officials to accept paints, pesticides, batteries, cleaners, light tubes, propane gas cylinders, fire extinguishers and mixed solvents;
  • Vance County Sheriff’s Department deputies to accept prescription drugs, antibiotics, pain medications, allergy medications and any over-the-counter unwanted medications;
  • Local Government Federal Credit Union officials with a shredding truck to securely shred at the site any personal, important documents;
  • Waste Industries bins to collect old or unwanted televisions, computer monitors and computer CPUs;
  • Waste Industries bins to collect cardboard, metal and aluminum cans, plastic bottles and containers, glass bottles and containers, newsprint and magazines.

This event is for local residential customers and not designed to take items from businesses or industries.

For additional information on the Collection and Recycling Day, residents may contact Jason Falls, Vance County Environmental Services director, at 252-738-2090 or jfalls@vancecounty.org.

Annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection & Recycling Day – April 27

/by

-Information and flyer courtesy the Vance County Appearance Commission

The annual Vance County Household Hazardous Waste Collection and Recycling Day event will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the City Operations Center at 900 South Beckford Drive in Henderson. The event is free and open to all residents of Vance County.

The event provides a safe and responsible way for local residents to dispose of unwanted old paints, insecticides and pesticides, as well as old medications, televisions and computer hardware. It also provides a way for residents to securely shred unwanted or old personal documents and properly recycle appropriate household items.

Residents can simply bring their materials for disposal and recycling to the event on April 27, and volunteers will be on hand to assist in unloading the items from residents’ vehicles and getting them to the proper vendor.

Vendors scheduled to be on hand at the event include:

  • Ecoflow and N.C. Department of Agriculture officials to accept paints, pesticides, batteries, cleaners, light tubes, propane gas cylinders, fire extinguishers and mixed solvents;
  • Vance County Sheriff’s Department deputies to accept prescription drugs, antibiotics, pain medications, allergy medications and any over-the-counter unwanted medications;
  • Local Government Federal Credit Union officials with a shredding truck to securely shred at the site any personal, important documents;
  • Waste Industries bins to collect old or unwanted televisions, computer monitors and computer CPUs;
  • Waste Industries bins to collect cardboard, metal and aluminum cans, plastic bottles and containers, glass bottles and containers, newsprint and magazines.

This event is for local residential customers and not designed to take items from businesses or industries.

For additional information on the Collection and Recycling Day, residents may contact Jason Falls, Vance County Environmental Services director, at 252-738-2090 or jfalls@vancecounty.org.

Vance County NC

Vance County’s Litter Problem is, Ultimately, a ‘Community Pride Issue’

/by

Terri Hedrick, chairperson of the Vance County Appearance Commission, was on Wednesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss the widespread issue of trash and litter on Vance County roadways.

Recent social media postings have indicated that local residents are concerned about the amount of litter on their personal property as well as throughout the community.

Hedrick agreed, “The trash is really bad; it may be the worst we have seen in quite some time. It seems there is not a road that is not affected in Vance County.”

According to Hedrick, part of the appearance problem is due to the time of the year – trash is more visible in the winter when plant growth is down.

Roadside litter is also accumulating in record numbers due, in part, to funding ended by the State Legislature approximately two years ago. “One of the issues, without a doubt, is that prison crews are no longer able to go out and clean up roadsides,” explained Hedrick.

Hedrick said Vance County and the State DOT have been able to contract with work crews to clean up some of the major roadsides since funding was cut, but the problem “is too severe for just a few work crews a few times a year.”

The bigger issue, one much harder to solve, is how to instill community pride in people so they will not litter or illegally dump on other people’s property. “It has to begin with people not littering out of their cars. This is really a community pride issue,” said Hedrick.

While Hedrick admits it is very difficult for law enforcement to catch those who litter due to the quickness and frequency of the act, she is hopeful that the Appearance Commission will have success in appealing to the County for the hiring of either a full-time or part-time position to address the issue.

“The Appearance Commission is appealing to the County Manager and the Vance County Board of Commissioners to try again to employ a person whose job it is to investigate illegal dumping and littering issues,” Hedrick said. “We are asking the County to try to get it into the budget for the next [fiscal] year.”

Hedrick further explained that the Vance County Sheriff’s Department previously employed a deputy for such investigations, but the position was never filled upon the deputy’s retirement.

Other steps the commission has taken to address littering include talking to County officials on the possibility of using inmates in the county jail and/or using residents assigned community service for committing misdemeanor crimes to clean up roadways.

Both solutions, according to Hedrick, would require a certain amount of funding and sorting out the logistics of paperwork and supervision.

“There are no easy answers. Every county has this issue and it’s going to take all of us working together to deal with the huge problem that we have here,” Hedrick said.

To hear the Town Talk interview with Terri Hedrick in its entirety, please click here.

Residents’ Help Needed in Making 2019 Spring Litter Sweep Week a Success

/by

This year’s Henderson-Vance Spring Litter Sweep Week, held in conjunction with the state-wide litter sweep campaign, will be held Saturday, April 20 through Saturday, April 27, 2019.

Terri Hedrick, chair of the Vance County Appearance Commission, was recently on air to encourage all citizens of Vance County to spend time outdoors improving the community by cleaning up trash and debris.

“We ask all who are able to participate to please clean up around homes, churches, businesses, schools, city streets and county roads,” said Hedrick.

Gloves, reflective vests, recycling bags and trash bags are available for interested participants at the City Operations Center, 900 S. Beckford Drive, and at the Vance County School’s Administrative Office, 1724 Graham Avenue, in Henderson.

The litter sweep will culminate in the Annual Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day to be held in the front parking lot of the City Operations Center on Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Volunteers and vendors will be accepting a variety of items including old paint, insecticides, pesticides, cleaning products, electronics, televisions, computer hardware, cardboard, metal, aluminum cans, plastic, glass and newspapers/magazines in addition to other recyclables.

The Vance County Sheriff’s Office will also be on site to collect out-of-date medications, including prescription and over-the-counter varieties.

Shredding trucks will be available to securely dispose of participants’ personal documents.

Residents are encouraged to take advantage of this free, legal and environmentally-safe means of recycling older items.

Vance County Logo

Vance Co. Appearance Commission Looking to Clean Up Litter, Welcomes Fresh Ideas

/by

-Information courtesy the Vance County Appearance Commission & the Vance County Government Facebook page

A message from the Vance County Appearance Commission:

Vance County residents, we are on the right path with the dilapidated homes coming down, but we have a serious litter issue which is taking away from the beauty of our community. If you would like to be a part of the solution and get involved, the Vance County Appearance Commission is looking for members.

We meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month for about an hour. You can contact Kelly Grissom in the County Manager’s Office at (252) 738-2003 or by email at kgrissom@vancecounty.org for additional information.

This community means so much to all of us and we are looking forward to fresh ideas!

ALSO…any boy scouts looking for an Eagle Scout project? Please let us know!

Henderson-Vance Spring Litter Sweep 2018

/by

Vance County Appearance Commission Press Release

The Vance County Appearance Commission again is sponsoring the annual Henderson-Vance Spring Litter Sweep Week, April 23-28, and encouraging local citizens to get involved in cleaning up and improving the appearance of our community.

Throughout the week, the commission is asking residents of neighborhoods and subdivisions to clean up around their homes, business owners to clean up around their businesses and church and school groups to join in extra efforts to clean up around their facilities.

Local N.C. Adopt-A-Highway groups are urged to clean up along the roadway areas they have committed to keeping litter free during Spring Litter Sweep Week.

N.C. DOT crews and other work crews will be out helping to clean up trash and debris along Vance County roadways. Local volunteer groups are urged to join the efforts.

The week will end on Saturday, April 28, with the annual Vance County Recycling Day event in the parking lot of the City Operations Center at 900 South Beckford Drive in Henderson. Volunteers and recycling agency representatives will be on hand to collect recyclables items from citizens free of charge. Items which will be collected for free include all types of old medications, household recyclables, computer equipment, televisions, cardboard, newspapers, magazines, plastic bottles and containers and metal and aluminum cans.

Representatives of Shred Ace will be on hand to securely shred important personal documents for citizens. Shredding will be limited to one cart per local citizen who participates.

No old paints will be accepted this year at the Recycling Day event.

Volunteers with the Vance County Appearance Commission and students from the Kittrell Job Corps Center will be assisting citizens in unloading recyclables as they bring them to the Recycling Day event.

All Spring Litter Sweep Week and Recycling Day volunteers are invited to attend a free hot dog lunch beginning at 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, in the City Operations Center. The lunch again is sponsored by the Wisdom for Life Foundation of Jason Brown and the Fruit of the Spirit community group.

Spring Litter Sweep Week supplies of gloves, bags and orange safety vests will be available for free beginning on Thursday, April 19, at the City Operations Center and at the Vance County Schools Administrative Services Center at 1724 Graham Avenue in Henderson.

Anyone seeking additional information about the Spring Litter Sweep Week or Recycling Day event may contact Terri Hedrick at 252-915-9420 or at thedrick@vcs.k12.nc.us.

Henderson-Vance Spring Litter Sweep Week Coming Soon

/by

The Vance County Appearance Commission is joining with officials from Vance County and the City of Henderson again this year to sponsor the Henderson-Vance Spring Litter Sweep Week, April 24-29, and the Recycling Day Event on Saturday, April 29, at the City Operations Center on Beckford Drive in Henderson.

Citizens throughout Vance County are urged to make special efforts to clean up around their homes, businesses, churches, schools and any blighted areas they know about during the Spring Litter Sweep Week. Free clean-up supplies of gloves and trash or recycling bags will be available beginning Wednesday, April 19, and throughout the Litter Sweep Week at the City Operations Center and the Vance County Schools Administrative Services Center on Graham Avenue in Henderson.

The Appearance Commission and city and county officials urge all citizens to be involved in these efforts to improve the appearance of our community, especially the major problem we have now with roadside litter. All citizens are challenged to be proud of our community and help us to keep our county clean. Urge your family members, friends, neighbors, fellow church members and others to not litter and to keep their property clean! It takes all of us working together to improve the appearance of Vance County now and throughout each year!

The Recycling Day event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, will feature collections of household hazardous waste including cans of old paint and any hazardous chemicals residents may have and want to dispose of properly. Officials from Ecoflow will be on hand throughout the event on April 29 to collect the old paint and hazardous waste from citizens. There will be a limit of 10 gallons of paint per person and 25 gallons of household hazardous waste per person during the event. The collection event is for residents only and is not designed to take large quantities from contractors.

Other items that will be accepted during the recycling event on April 29 are important personal documents for secure shredding, old prescription drugs, electronics including televisions and all computer hardware and other household items such as cardboard, metal and aluminum cans, plastic and glass bottles and containers, newspapers and magazines.

For additional information, local citizens may contact Jason Falls, county environmental services manager, by phone at 738-2909 or by email at jfalls@vancecounty.org.

Vance County Appearance Commission seeks your help

/by

 

The Vance County Appearance Commission is seeking increased participation from residents across the county in efforts to recycle household items and other materials that can be reused.

Local participation in recycling by residents is less than 30 percent across Vance County. Members of the County Appearance Commission want more residents to recycle.

Recycling in Henderson and throughout Vance County is easy. In the city of Henderson, all recyclable items can be placed in the plastic bins provided by the city. Once the bins are placed by the street curb on designated pick-up days, Waste Industries personnel will collect the items for proper recycling. For residents living outside of Henderson and in Vance County, all recyclable items can be taken to one of the eight manned collection sites located throughout the county and placed in the large, recycling bins. They are collected regularly by Waste Industries for proper recycling.

Residents do not have to separate recyclable items in the city or throughout the county. Separation of the items is done during the recycling process.

Items that should be recycled include: any plastic bottles, containers and jugs; all aluminum, steel and tin cans; all mixed paper; all newspapers; all magazines; all milk cartons; all paper or cardboard cartons; all food boxes; all envelopes; all flattened cardboard boxes; all glass jars and bottles of any color; used cooking oil; used motor oil and filters; large appliances including refrigerators, AC units and water heaters; all electronics including televisions, radios, cell phones, computer towers and monitors and keyboards; furniture; and bed mattresses.

In the county, these recyclables items can be taken to the manned collection sites located on: N.C. 39 North of Henderson; Warrenton Road near U.S. 1 Bypass; Gun Club Road; Tungsten Mine Road; old Aycock school site on Vicksboro Road; North Chavis Road off U.S. 1 Business; Manson-Drewry Road; and Brodie Road.

Electronics for recycling are accepted only at the N.C. 39 North and Brodie Road collection sites.

Used tires also are accepted for recycling at the Transfer Station near the N.C. 39 North site. These items must be covered with a tarp for proper transportation to the site.

The collection sites are open Mondays through Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Recycling is a good idea and is important because it: saves natural resources; prevents environmental problems that come from landfills; saves energy; prevents pollution; creates jobs; and saves money.

The Vance County Appearance Commission is urging all county residents to do their part to protect our environment for future generations by recycling today and always!