Recently, staff members of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP) did their own cleanup ahead of the REAP-sponsored “Make It Shine” litter pickup effort. “We wanted to lead by example,” said REAP Administrator Sandy Rogers, explaining her staff’s day out of the office spent clearing trash and other debris in areas of Kanawha County.

REAP, housed under the Department of Environmental Protection, oversees the state’s Adopt-A-Highway, Adopt-A-Spot, and Kanawha River cleanups, in addition to the Make It Shine initiative. In total, the group collected 1,360 pounds of trash and 38 tires.

“Last year, close to 5,000 West Virginians gave up their free time to clean up our beautiful state during April’s Make It Shine month and collected nearly 120 tons of litter,” Rogers said. “The REAP staff remains committed to assisting in these efforts by providing supplies to our volunteers, hauling away the trash they collect and covering landfill costs.”