Keep Whitehouse Beautiful

Archive for the ‘Don’t Mess With Texas Trash Off’ Category

We’d like to thank in advance the many teams that have signed up to volunteer at the 2011 Don’t Mess With Texas Trash-Off this Saturday, April 2nd.  We could not do this without you!

Adopt-A-Highway Teams
Mt Carmel Baptist Church
Residence Inn
UTT Pre Med / Dental Association
WHS First Ladies

Businesses
Brookshires
Southside Bank
Tri County Leader

Churches
Whitehouse Church of Christ
Whitehouse First Baptist Church
Whitehouse United Methodist Church

Community Groups
Boy Scout Troop 248
Cub Scout Pack 359 Den 8
Tyler Kiwanis
Whitehouse Chamber of Commerce

Individuals
WH City Council – Pat Powell
Mayor Danny Hogden

School Groups
Brown Elementary Student Council
Cain Elementary Student Council
Higgins Elementary
Stanton Smith Elementary Student Council
WHS Business Professionals of America
WHS Football Team
WHS Key Club
WHS NHS (National Honor Society)

Sub Developments
Richland Hills
Southpoint Road
Yarbrough Lane Neighborhood

We look forward to seeing everybody on Saturday morning!

Fed up with roadside litter and fired up to do something about it, hundreds of volunteers will fan out across Whitehouse on April 2 to participate in the state’s largest one-day cleanup. The Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off is a partnership between Keep Texas Beautiful and the Texas Department of Transportation and it is held during the Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup.

Organizations, businesses, citizens and children are invited to join Keep Whitehouse Beautiful (KWB) at Whitehouse City Park, located at 309 East Main Street (FM Road 346), between 8 and 9 a.m. to get registered to volunteer. Participants may bring a team or join one there and will be assigned a road in the Whitehouse area to clean up. Teams that have pre-registered include Southside Bank, Brookshire’s Whitehouse, Tri County Leader, Residence Inn, Whitehouse Chamber of Commerce, Whitehouse High School First Ladies Drill Team, Whitehouse High School Honor Society, Whitehouse High School football players, Walnut Grove United Methodist Church, Mount Carmel Baptist Church, Whitehouse United Methodist Church, Boy Scout Troup 248, Cub Scout Pack 359-Den 8, Stanton Smith Elementary Student Council, Brown Elementary Student Council, Yarborough Lane neighbors and the Richland Hills neighborhood.

The first 325 people who sign up will get a free t-shirt and trash bags will be provided. Refreshments will be available, and volunteers will be entered into a drawing for a Toro backpack leaf blower, a Toro four-cycle trimmer, a compost bin and recycle bins. Those who come are encouraged to wear long pants, close-toed shoes and hats. They also may want to bring gloves, sunscreen and bug repellant. After the litter has been tackled, helping hands will be treated to free CiCi’s Pizza and other foods.

“Last year we had more than 300 people and we are expecting a great turnout again from our community,” said Debbie Shafer, KWB President. “These volunteers make all the difference in the world. It’s not only the fact that they are picking up litter that day. They’re also making everyone who is driving by aware of litter. Trash doesn’t just ‘go away.’ Someone has to pick it up–so don’t throw it out in the first place.”

Local sponsors of the 2011 Keep Whitehouse Beautiful Don’t Mess With Texas Trash Off include: Southside Bank; EOG Resources; City of Whitehouse; David R. Shafer, M.D.; Austin Bank; Allied Waste- a Republic Services Company; TAABS Printing and Promotional Products, Wildcat Self Storage; Brookshire’s and Victoria Station.

The National Sponsors of the 2011 Great American Cleanup are: Pepsi-Cola Company; Waste Management, Inc.; Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company; The Dow Chemical Company; Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water; Lowes; Troy-Bilt® Lawn and Garden Equipment; The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company; The Glad Products Company; and the Solo Cup Company.

2011 Trash-Off Goals: Quick Facts
Texans are encouraged to exceed last year’s Trash-Off numbers.
• Statewide volunteers: 74,100 (More than 300 in Whitehouse)
• Pounds of trash collected statewide in 2010: eight million (7,020 pounds in Whitehouse)
• Number of miles cleaned statewide in 2010: 6,219 (43.25 miles in Whitehouse)

This year, Don’t Mess with Texas celebrates its 25th anniversary. Volunteers are encouraged to share their favorite Texas images from the Trash-Off or from any time of the year at http://dontmesswithtexas.org/programs/photo-album/.

About Don’t Mess with Texas
Don’t Mess with Texas has been educating Texans about litter prevention since 1986. TxDOT’s litter prevention program includes Adopt-a-Highway and a grassroots partnership with Keep Texas Beautiful. Don’t Mess with Texas activities also include a spring “Trash-Off,” community outreach, a scholarship, a corporate partner program, and a photo album where Texans can share their iconic Texas images. For more information, visit www.DontMessWithTexas.org

Spring has arrived in Whitehouse; and along with the beautiful blooms,

Items Collected at Last Year's Large Item Roundup

flowers and warm temperatures come thoughts of cleaning….spring cleaning to be exact. What better time for the Whitehouse Large Item Roundup and Don’t Mess With Texas Trash-Off.

The Whitehouse Large Item Roundup is Saturday, March 26th from 8 a.m. to noon at the Whitehouse Recycle Center on Railroad Avenue, south of FM 346. This is a twice yearly event sponsored by the City of Whitehouse and Keep Whitehouse Beautiful. According to Event Coordinator Eddie Ray, this event pulls in more unwanted items each year. “This is a great time to go through your house and find those items that are unsuitable for regular garbage pickup or recycling. Broken bikes and toys, old grills, rusted metal, mattresses and appliances are some of the more popular items we see”, states Ms. Ray. Tires are welcome too, for a $2 disposal fee. Yard waste, construction debris, paints and chemicals are NOT ALLOWED.

The Don’t Mess With Texas Trash Off is scheduled for Saturday, April 2nd at

Volunteers at the 2010 Don't Mess With Texas Trash-Off

Whitehouse City Park. This event is part of the Great American Cleanup, sponsored by Keep America Beautiful. In towns across the United States, residents volunteer to help pick up trash along roadways and waterways. Teams and individuals are to report to the City Park at 8 a.m., where they will receive their road assignments, have pictures taken and be sent off to collect trash by 9 a.m. Those who come are encouraged to wear long pants, close-toed shoes, long-sleeve shirts and hats. They also may want to bring gloves, sunscreen and bug repellant. The first 300 to arrive at the event will get a free t-shirt, compliments of Keep Whitehouse Beautiful.

According to Keep Whitehouse Beautiful President Debbie Shafer, “We’re expecting a great turnout again from our community,” she said. “It makes all the difference in the world. It’s not only the fact that they are picking up litter that day. They’re also making everyone there aware of litter and those driving by aware of litter.”

There is still time for churches, businesses and community organizations to sign up by sending an e-mail to info@keepwhitehousebeautiful with their team information.

It is time again for the DON”T MESS WITH TEXAS TRASH OFF; part of the nation-wide project, the Great American Clean Up. This annual event allows citizens to show that they care for their community as they volunteer to pick up trash along the roadsides of Whitehouse.

Volunteers and teams are needed to show up at Whitehouse City Park at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 2nd.   Photos will be taken of each team, road assignments will be given, and by 9:00 a.m. the teams will be sent out with litter bags. Participants are encouraged to wear long pants and long sleeved shirts, closed toe shoes (no sandals) along with gloves, hat and sunscreen. And don’t forget – T-shirts will be given again to the first 300 who come to the event!

This nationwide event highlights the problem of litter. Littler on the roadway comes from several sources. Most often careless occupants of vehicles throw items out as they travel down roadways or at intersections. Litter placed in the beds of pickups or trucks frequently flies out if if not covered. Another source of litter is trash cans put on the side of the roadway for pickup that do not have lids closed tightly.

This one event makes a huge impact in our community and speaks volumes about each person’s caring and respect for others around them. Not only do participants get to fellowship with their team members and others during this event, they get to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in our community and be a part of the solution.

There is still time to sign up church groups, civic organizations, businesses or neighborhoods who would like to form teams by calling 903 839-2166 or by sending an email to info@keepwhitehousebeautiful.com. For more information about this event, go to www.keepwhitehousebeautiful.com. Become a fan of Keep Whitehouse Beautiful on Facebook!

The 2010 team from the Whitehouse High National Honor Society

Keep Whitehouse Beautiful wants to get on your calendar for two VERY important events this spring – the Don’t Mess With Texas Trash-Off (also known as the Great American Trash-Off) and the Whitehouse Large Item Roundup (previously known as Clean Whitehouse Day).

The Whitehouse Large Item Roundup is Saturday, March 26th from 8:00am – 12:00pm at the Whitehouse Recycle Center on Railroad Avenue, south of FM 346. This twice-yearly event is a joint effort between the City and Keep Whitehouse Beautiful to provide citizens a safe and appropriate way to dispose of unwanted items that are not suitable for regular recycling. Other items include rusted swing sets, lawn furniture, old appliances, old and broken furniture, etc. Tires are welcome too, but there is a $2 disposal fee for them. NOT INCLUDED are paints or other liquids or chemicals around the house. Yard waste and construction debris are excluded as well.

The Don’t Mess With Texas Trash-Off is Saturday, April 2nd held at Whitehouse City Park. This annual event allows citizens to show that they care for their community as they volunteer to pick up trash along the roadsides of Whitehouse. All volunteers are asked to report to Whitehouse City Park at 8:00am. At that time teams will register, t-shirts will be handed out to the first 300 participants, photos will be taken of the teams, and by 9:00 a.m. the teams will head out to their assigned roadways with bags to pick up the trash.

We are looking for groups from schools, churches and other organizations to form teams to help pick up trash.  If you would like to register or form a team, send an e-mail to info@keepwhitehousebeautiful.com.