Madison County holding Earth Day event this Saturday, April 22

Madison County officials and local residents are hosting an Earth Day cleanup event on Saturday, April 22, 2023, in Roxana.

Chairman Kurt Prenzler wants to let the public know about the 9 a.m. to noon event. Participants are asked to meet at Wanda Church, which is located at Madison Avenue and Wanda Road in Roxana.

“One of the local residents worked hard to help organize this event in an effort to clean up the roads near the Roxana Landfill,” Prenzler said.

Prenzler commended Rusty Wheat for his hard work. He said Wheat works almost daily pick up trash along Illinois routes 255 and 143 that is left behind by waste haulers headed to and from the landfill.

“He’s tired of seeing the trash along the roadways,” he said. “We all are. No one wants this constant eyesore and what better way than to promote the beautification of the county than to hold an ‘Earth Day’ event.”

He said this “clean-up” event is more about a particular issue near the landfill — the “industrial level” litter.

Prenzler said Wheat worked with County Board member Alison Lamothe on the event. The county’s Building and Zoning Department will provide litter pick-up kits, which includes safety vests, gloves, litter grabbers and garage bags and the county’s Highway Department is making  arrangements to pick up the trash.

LaMothe said she went out and toured the area that local residents are complaining about and agrees with them that something needs to be done about the litter issue. She said the “Clean Up” event is just a small step and she was more than happy to help Wheat in his endeavor.

County Board member Terry Eaker of Bethalto said he receives calls almost daily about the trash. He said although the landfill itself isn’t in his district, the intersection of Illinois routes 255 and 143 are located in it as is the entrance to the Kendall Hill and Kendall Estates subdivisions.

“That’s the intersection that I get the most calls about, because it’s the route the trucks take to the landfill,” Eaker said. “People are tired of seeing all the trash that falls off the trucks. They want it cleaned up.”

Building and Zoning Administrator Chris Doucleff said the county offers a free resource tool kit, which includes trash bags, reflective vests, gloves and litter grabbers to anyone who wishes to go out and pick up trash in their community.

“We are focused on ways to reduce the amount of litter in the county and this resource helps battle that problem,” Doucleff said. “Providing free resources for residents can impact change.”

Since the kits first became available three years ago, the county has given away more than 4,000 kits.

To request a tool kit volunteers are asked to fill out an online form to request the number of tool kits needed. Visit www.madisoncountybz.com or call (618) 296-4468 for questions or more information about the program.

Volunteers can pick up their resource tool kit at the Madison County Administration Building, 157 N. Main St., Suite 254, Edwardsville.

“We want to keep our streets, roads and highways clean,” Doucleff said. “It’s not always easy, especially with two landfills in the county. We are working to find a solution and will continue to listen to residents when they complain about the trash.”