MLK Day cleanup event planned on Albany street named in King’s honor

ALBANY — A group of south Albany residents have gotten a little SALTy about littering in their neighborhood, and members have taken matters into their own hands by combining exercise with picking up the roadside trash.

“There’s a few of us that go around picking up while on our morning and evening walks,” South Albany Litter Team member Judy Gaines said. “It’s working. The neighborhood looks better.”

On Monday SALT is looking to spread the beautification effort by hosting a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday event to clean up the Albany street named in his honor.

The volunteer group formed in the summer of 2020 as a way to clean up close to home after getting fed up with the debris strewn along the street.

Volunteers are invited spend a few minutes or a few hours pitching in on Monday. The event starts at 11 a.m. and runs through 2 p.m. from the park at 2235 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

“We wanted to get people involved, to expand, especially on the King holiday,” Gaines said. “We thought it would be nice to do it on King Drive. We welcome everybody to come out and participate.

“It’s about four or five miles. It’s a rather long street, so we need as many as we can to cover the entire street.”

Elected officials from the Albany City Commission, Dougherty County Commission and Dougherty County School System have signed on and are helping get the word out about the trash pick-up. Churches also have been enlisted to spread the word.

In addition to improving the appearance of the neighborhood, Monday’s effort will give people the chance to get out of the house during the current COVID-19 surge.

“It’s a COVID-safe activity because you will be outside,” Gaines said. “It’s an opportunity to be outside, to be on your own if you choose.”

Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful will provide trash pickers for participants, and gloves and hand sanitizer also will be provided, Gaines said.

“They just need to bring their walking shoes and be ready to walk,” she said.

A theme of the King holiday is that the day is “a day on, not a day off,” and that sentiment is behind the trash collection event.

“We’re really excited about it,” Gaines said. “We’re very enthusiastic.”

Gaines also had a message for those whose carelessness necessitates residents having to pick up garbage from their streets.

“Let’s stop littering so we don’t have to have pick-up days like this,” she said. “We want to encourage people to not litter. We love south Albany. I was born and raised here. We love this community. This is our home.”

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