Keep Harnett Beautiful

08/25/2026

🌧️ TRASH TALKIN’ TUESDAY: The roadside pipeline to our rivers. 🌧️

It’s easy to look at a piece of litter in a roadside ditch and think, "Well, at least it's not in the water." But in reality, our county's drainage ditches are a direct pipeline to our major water source, the Cape Fear River.
When afternoon summer thunderstorms roll across North Carolina, storm water rushes through these ditches, acting like a conveyor belt.
• The Route: Trash dropped on a highway or roadside in Harnett County, washes into a ditch, flows into local creeks like Upper Little River, Hectors Creek or Buies Creek, and dumps directly into the Cape Fear River.
• The Double Trouble: Beyond water pollution, accumulated trash clogs drainage pipes, leading to localized road flooding during heavy rains.
By cleaning out a simple roadside ditch during a litter sweep, you are stopping water pollution before it ever reaches the river.

You don’t need a boat to save a river, just a trash bag and a little community spirit. Let’s clean the ditches this week! 🌊🧤

For more information reach out by email at [email protected] or call/text 910-514-2054

08/18/2026

🎒 TRASH TALKIN’ TUESDAY: School is back! Time for a Club Challenge. 🎒

The school buses are rolling, the classrooms are full, and Harnett County schools are officially back in session! With the new school year comes a fresh wave of energy from student councils, booster clubs, sports teams, and civic organizations.
Are you looking for a meaningful team bonding project that builds leadership and school pride? We challenge your club or team to host a 1-hour Back-to-School Litter Sweep!

🏆 Why it’s a win-win:
• It builds incredible teamwork and community pride outside the classroom or field.
• It directly improves the areas surrounding our campuses, bus routes, and neighborhood parks.
• We make it completely free, providing all the neon vests, trash bags, and grabbers your team needs. We also handle disposal of all bagged trash and larger items collected during a coordinated sweep!

Whether you're repping Campbell University, a local high school or middle school club, let’s start the academic year off with a clean slate. Reach out Morgan, our coordinator by email at [email protected] or call/text 910-514-2054 to lock in your club’s cleanup supplies! 🦅✏️

08/11/2026

🏢 TRASH TALKIN’ TUESDAY: Clean counties draw bright futures. 🏢

When businesses look to invest, open new locations, or relocate families, what do you think is one of the very first things they evaluate? Community pride.

A county covered in roadside litter sends a subconscious message that the community doesn't care about its infrastructure. On the flip side, clean roads, spotless parks, and well-maintained public spaces signal a thriving, proud, and welcoming population.
• The Economic Impact: Litter directly hurts tourism, lowers residential property values, and discourages new businesses from setting up shop in our commercial corridors.
• The Solution: Community-led litter sweeps are a direct investment in Harnett County’s economic growth.

When we pick up trash, we aren't just cleaning; we are showcasing Harnett County as a premier place to live, play, and do business.

Let's keep our economy growing by keeping our roadsides glowing! Contact us today to pick up supplies for your local business or civic club cleanup. 💼✨
For more information reach out by email at [email protected] or call/text 910-514-2054

08/04/2026

Check out this weeks Trash Talk!

🚜 TRASH TALKIN’ TUESDAY: Help our farmers gear up for harvest! 🚜

As we roll into August, Harnett County farmers are actively preparing for the busy fall harvest season. Right now, heavy machinery, combines, and tractors are moving down our rural roads and turning into fields.

Do you know what one of a farmer’s worst roadside nightmares are? Hidden trash.
When high weeds hide discarded aluminum cans, thick glass bottles, or metal car parts along field edges, it creates an expensive disaster:
•Equipment Damage: Roadside debris can easily puncture tractor tires costing thousands of dollars or get sucked into a combine, destroying blades and causing days of costly delays.
•Safety Hazards: Swerving to avoid trash piles on tight rural roads puts both farmers and drivers at risk.

Our agricultural community works around the clock to feed us. Let's work together to protect them.
Conducting a quick litter sweep along field borders and rural routes before the height of harvest is one of the most impactful ways to support local agriculture. Let’s clear the way for a safe, successful harvest! 🌾

For more information reach out by email at [email protected] or call/text 910-514-2054

08/04/2026

🚜 TRASH TALKIN’ TUESDAY: Help our farmers gear up for harvest! 🚜

As we roll into August, Harnett County farmers are actively preparing for the busy fall harvest season. Right now, heavy machinery, combines, and tractors are moving down our rural roads and turning into fields.

Do you know what one of a farmer’s worst roadside nightmares are? Hidden trash.
When high weeds hide discarded aluminum cans, thick glass bottles, or metal car parts along field edges, it creates an expensive disaster:
•Equipment Damage: Roadside debris can easily puncture tractor tires costing thousands of dollars or get sucked into a combine, destroying blades and causing days of costly delays.
•Safety Hazards: Swerving to avoid trash piles on tight rural roads puts both farmers and drivers at risk.

Our agricultural community works around the clock to feed us. Let's work together to protect them.
Conducting a quick litter sweep along field borders and rural routes before the height of harvest is one of the most impactful ways to support local agriculture. Let’s clear the way for a safe, successful harvest! 🌾

For more information reach out by email at [email protected] or call/text 910-514-2054

07/28/2026

🎒 TRASH TALKIN’ TUESDAY: Looking for summer service hours? We’ve got the gear! 🎒

Calling all Harnett County students, scout troops, youth groups, and parents! Summer is flying by, and if you have teenagers looking to log some community service hours before school starts back up, we have the perfect project for you.

A family or youth-led litter sweep is a powerful, hands-on way to make a visible impact right where you live.

How it works in 3 easy steps:
1. Pick your spot: A near by roadside, your neighborhood, or a church property line.
2. Get the gear: Connect with us, and we will hand over heavy-duty bags, gloves, safety vests, and grabbers.
3. Make a difference: Spend an hour filling bags, take a proud group photo, and celebrate a job well done!

It’s safe, it's outdoors, and it teaches the next generation the value of stewardship. Reach out to us today to coordinate a supply pickup for your youth group or family project! 🧤☀️
For more information reach out by email at [email protected] or call/text 910-514-2054

07/21/2026

🦅 TRASH TALKIN’ TUESDAY: What’s on the menu? (Hint: It shouldn't be plastic). 🦅

Summer is prime time for wildlife activity along our creeks, trails, and the Cape Fear River. Unfortunately, it's also prime time for wild animals to encounter our litter.
Animals don't know the difference between a food wrapper and actual food.
• The Hazard: Six-pack rings, plastic bags, and discarded fishing lines become deadly traps for birds and river mammals, causing entanglement.
• The Diet: Creatures like birds and turtles mistake colorful plastic fragments for berries or insects, filling their stomachs with indigestible trash.
According to recent environmental studies in North Carolina, the vast majority of trash polluting our natural habitats is single-use plastics.
Animals can't pick up after us, but we can pick up after each other. Conducting a litter sweep along a local trail, riverbank, or county road keeps our wildlife safe and thriving. Let's do our part to keep Harnett wild and clean! 🐢🌿

07/14/2026

🌱 TRASH TALKIN’ TUESDAY: The litter you can't see. 🌱

When a plastic bottle or fast-food container sits on the side of a Harnett County road all summer, it doesn't just stay an eyesore. Under our intense North Carolina summer sun, that plastic gets brittle and undergoes photodegradation (breaking down due to sunlight).
It doesn't disappear, it actually breaks down into millions of microscopic pieces called microplastics. https://greensborobeautiful.org/litter-costs-us-our-health-and-millions-of-dollars/ #:~:text=The%20plastic%20litter%20collected%20is,wreak%20havoc%20on%20citizen%20health.
⚠️ Why this matters for our communities:
• Soil Health: Microplastics mix into agricultural soil, disrupting the natural movement of water and nutrients that crops depend on.
• Our Water Supply: Unlike major cities, many of our rural homes and farms rely heavily on groundwater wells. Over time, these tiny particles and their chemical additives can seep into the water table.
A piece of plastic picked up today during a litter sweep is a chemical hazard prevented tomorrow.
Let's protect our drinking water and soil at the source. For more information, reach out by email at [email protected] or call/text 910-514-2054 to grab your cleanup kit and tackle your local roadside this week! 💧🌾

07/13/2026

Anderson Creek Garden Club is back at it again, cleaning up our County!

‼️They have committed to quarterly sweeps‼️

Do you have a group looking to volunteer? Let us know and we will provide EVERYTHING you need!

07/08/2026

🎤Announcing Community Clean-Up Day –SATURDAY JULY 11th --- Let’s Make Anderson Creek Area Cleaner & Greener! 🌱

The Anderson Creek Garden Club invites you to join us for a fun and meaningful morning as we pick up litter and beautify Ray Road and surrounding areas!

🗓 Date: Saturday, July 11, 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Location: Meet at Patriot Hall parking lot, 216 Anderson Creek Drive, Spring Lake, NC 28390

This family-friendly event is open to kids ages 12 & up when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Come out for an hour or two — no experience needed! We’ll provide gloves, trash bags, and all supplies. Just wear comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes.
Every piece of litter we remove helps improve our neighborhood and the quality of life for everyone who lives here. It’s a great way to connect with neighbors while doing something positive for our community!

“Every piece of litter we remove and every area we beautify makes a real difference.” – Lee Mendocino, Anderson Creek Garden Club
RSVP or get more info:
📞 Lee Mendocino – (919) 497-9249 or (253) 370-1757
📧 [email protected]
Learn more about the Anderson Creek Garden Club at:
https://andersoncreekgardenclub.org
Let’s roll up our sleeves and show our community pride! 💪❤️
See you there!