Goal: Tidier cities

What would spring be without some cleaning?

April will be a month of both beautifying and recycling on the High Plains, with the first event taking place in Portales.

The 2018 Great American Cleanup is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. April 7 at the Memorial Building and run until 1 p.m. in Portales. In that time, volunteers will disperse across the city — individually and in teams — to see how many bags of trash they can collect.

Prizes will be given at the end of the day for the most bags of trash collected, the largest group and the most cans of food donated.

Portales Deputy City Clerk Veda Urioste said between 100 and 150 people attend the cleanup every year, and the city is always better for it.

“There’s this one area of town that they collect like 50 to 75 bags of trash, and that’s just one section out there. You do notice a big difference,” she said.

Information: Call 575-356-6662

Clovis cleanup set April 28

Clovis’ Great American Cleanup typically sees 250 to 300 volunteers, according to Tabetha Leinberger, Clovis Parks and Recreation administrative assistant.

The event, set to start at 8 a.m. April 28 at the Clovis Parks and Recreation Department, will see volunteers picking up trash until noon, where they will receive third-, second- and first-place prizes.

Leinberger said that in 2017, 226 bags of trash were collected, and that event only had 200 volunteers. She encouraged residents to participate to “take pride in our community and help clean it up.”

“It increases property values, everything,” she said.

Information: Call 575-769-7870

Recycling more your bag?

For those more apt at completing a goal over time, Sodexo at Eastern New Mexico University is holding a recycling drive through April 23.

Unit Marketing Coordinator Hannah Spearman said residents can pick up a registration form from the ENMU dining hall and begin competing with student organizations to donate the most recyclables. Two winners will be chosen — one based on weight of donated recyclables and one based on volume — to receive pizza parties.

“One of the stipulations of winning is the team has a barrel — they’re all the same (size) barrel — and you have to fill that barrel once to the top in order to be eligible to win the pizza party,” she said.

ENMU Sodexo General Manager Gayle Witzke said the event is designed to promote sustainability and draw attention to the importance of recycling.

Anyone wanting to participate should hurry fast — Spearman said one team has already filled its barrel to the top.

Information: Call 575-562-4050