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Trash Free Texas
Monthly News & Updates

April 2021
You are receiving this newsletter because we thought you'd be interested in learning more about Trash Free Texas, an initiative by the Houston-Galveston Area Council and partners aimed at reducing or eliminating litter along area waterways.

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This Month's Spotlight
Getting Started with Adopt-A-Spot
Interested in submitting a Trash Free Texas Adopt-A-Spot site but not sure how to get started? Here are few tips to help get you going. 

  1. Select your site. Before you select your site, consider the size, features, and permission you or the volunteers will need to access the site. 
  2. Coordinate with volunteers. Think about how you will promote your site and communicate with and train volunteers. Also consider whether you will provide clean-up supplies or if volunteers need to bring their own. 
  3. Manage your site. Once your site is active, determine who will upload the data and keep your site information current. 

Learn more about getting started in our Monthly Spotlight.
Become a Coordinator written in white over a landscape with curved waterbody
Would you like to see your Adopt-A-Spot Story featured in a future Spotlight? Click on the button below to complete a form and we'll share your story with the community.
Program Updates
Trash Free Texas is Seeking Local Government Partners
Trash Free Texas logo
In Texas, over 435 million pieces of visible litter accumulate on roadways each year. Litter is in our communities, on the sides of our roads, in our rivers, and along our beaches. Litter control efforts cost the American taxpayers over $11 billion each year. And approximately 80% of the trash in our waterways originates from land-based sources, such as roadways. 
 
The Trash Free Texas - Houston region team is seeking local government partners to help change that! 
 
If you work for a city, county, or other municipality and would like to establish a clean-up event in your community or would like to explore how you can work with local restaurants to reduce plastic waste, please e-mail [email protected] for more information. 
Partner Updates
Trash Bash Results
The Texas Conservation Fund’s 27th annual River, Lakes, Bays ‘N Bayous Trash Bash® was held March 25-28, as a reimagined “Backyard to Bay” cleanup to protect the health and safety of participants and their families. During the event, 765 volunteers reported holding personal cleanups in their neighborhoods, collectively removing 11,057 pounds of trash from the Galveston Bay watershed. That’s over 5.5 tons of trash removed! Trash Bash coordinators thank everyone who participated, and organizers hope to welcome everyone back in person next year.   
2021 Trash Summit - May 5
The next annual Houston-Galveston Regional Trash and Marine Debris Trash Summit, presented by the Partners in Litter Prevention, will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 5, hosted via Zoom. Registration is required. Details and agenda will be available closer to the meeting date. 
Do you have a trash clean-up or litter reduction project that’s coming up, ongoing, or recently completed? Ask for help or share your success with the Trash Free Texas Community by sharing in our monthly update.