Pulaski County Board of Supervisors Issues “2025 One Bag Challenge”
It is that time again for the One Bag Challenge!! After a lot of “trash talk” the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors and the Pulaski County School Board are partnering with the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office, the Town of Pulaski, the Town of Dublin, Friends of Peak Creek, Friends of Claytor Lake, T. G. Howard, New River Conservancy, the New River Valley Fine Arts Center, and Pulaski County Library to challenge our community to Pick it Up Pulaski during the One Bag Challenge which begins March 1st and will run through June 30th. We challenge each citizen in Pulaski County to pick up a minimum of one bag of trash. In addition to individuals, we are challenging departments, businesses, clubs, organizations, and nonprofits, to support our efforts by picking up litter throughout the County.
Each year when we begin this project, the first question that always arises is, "Why are inmates from the Regional Jail not used for this purpose?" The answer is simple: Due to sentencing restrictions and regulations beyond our control, inmate labor is very limited and rarely available. Litter is indeed an ongoing problem and most is a result of the carelessness of some citizens and others visiting our great County. While some litter may be unintentionally caused, the vast majority is indeed a result of people breaking the law and their lack of care or concern for our environment.
In 2023, the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors challenged the Town of Pulaski and Dublin Councils, the Pulaski County School Board, in addition to all Pulaski County citizens to help address the issue of roadside and waterside trash in the County. The "One Bag Challenge" brought the community together to clean up littered areas and roadways and proved to be a great success resulting in 237 participants collecting 849 bags of trash and 275 tires throughout the County. Not only did the Challenge clean up Pulaski County, it also won a Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) Achievement Award. An expansion of this program was continued last year, as the School Board partnered with the Board of Supervisors, resulting in 256 individuals removing 1009 bags of trash, and 569 tires along with a large amount of building materials, appliances, small machinery, and more.
The Challenge... Pick up at least one bag of trash (multiple bags are always encouraged) along a littered area or roadway or waterway throughout the County. Participants are asked to take a photo along with their bag(s) and send it with the number of bags, location picked up, and contact information to Laura Walters, Chair, Pulaski County Board of Supervisors, at lwalters@pulaskicounty.org. or text to (540) 230-6272. These photos will be posted on the County’s Clean Community Council website and social media platforms to recognize those who are setting a great example by displaying their Pulaski County Pride in our community through helping keep our roadsides clean. Bags and trash collected in the County may be left on the roadside for VDOT pick up (Bags must be Orange), taken to county drop sites (with proper customer authorization), or one or two may be put out with your garbage for collection.
Participants could win a $100 VISA Gift Card for their photo submissions! For each full bag of trash collected, the participant’s name will be entered into a monthly drawing. The Board of Supervisors and School Board will draw three names at their monthly March, April, May, and June meetings.
The Pulaski County Board of Supervisors and the School Board are pleased to announce a jointly sponsored $1000 scholarship for the winning essay or social media project. Rules for participation are available from the Board of Supervisors or the School Board Offices or online at the Boards websites and social media pages. Middle and High School students are encouraged to participate in an essay contest on the topic of.: "Littering is Harmful: Why Your Community is Your Responsibility Too", or in a social media contest to create and promote a social media challenge (e.g., #OneBagChallenge #PickItUpPulaski) to encourage their peers and community members to pick up litter and share their efforts online (utilizing Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and/or X .
For our younger 4th and 5th Grade students, there will be a poster contest for artwork depicting the theme of: "Pick It Up Pulaski". For our K-3rd Grade Elementary Students, there will be a coloring contest. Winners in both of these categories will receive a gift basket. This artwork will be displayed by the Fine Arts Center at the Pulaski County Innovation Center in April and May culminating with a reception (Date TBA) to honor the winners. At this event, the scholarship winner and winners of the poster and coloring contests will be announced. In additions Pulaski and Dublin Libraries will provide additional educational displays and activities to educate our citizens about littering, recycling, and the environmental effects of litter.
Our Pulaski County Sheriff's Office will be educating citizens through a social media campaign and increasing enforcement of littering. Special attention will be given to uncovered hauling and unsecured loads, acts of illegal dumping, and motorists or pedestrians improperly tossing out litter, including cigarette butts. The Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff’s Office are adopting a Zero Tolerance policy for littering.
Participants can pick up reflective safety vests, gloves, trash pickers, and trash bags at the County Administration Building, located at 143 Third Street N.W., in Pulaski. You may also contact your respective Board of Supervisor member to get supplies.
Please remember littering is illegal and totally unnecessary. We want to keep the County we live in to be clean and welcoming. Thank you in advance to citizens who participate in the "One Bag Challenge" or any future efforts to clean up the community. Also, keep in mind that safety is the first priority in this challenge, so please use caution when working around moving vehicles along the roadways.
Let the Challenge begin! #PickItUpPulaski
