With spring comes warmer weather, sprouting flowers, and spring cleaning. Tyler County is no exception, and local community service organizations will be taking part in countywide clean-up efforts.

The mass mobilization is all a part of the Keep WV Beautiful Statewide Cleanup, starting April 1 through April 14.

Conducted in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Protection and Division of Highways, this program provides assistance to volunteers completing a cleanup in their area. Assistance includes distribution of gloves and bags and disposal of materials collected.

The two-week long cleanup effort is a program of WV Make It Shine. The WV Make It Shine Program is a comprehensive program aimed at cleaning up the state with the help of volunteer groups. It is the responsibility of the WV Make It Shine Program to coordinate these efforts.

Coordinating the various cleanups is Nancy Haught, secretary/treasurer of the Tyler County Solid Waste Authority.

“We’re working with Make It Shine and DEP,” explained Haught. “It’s like one big push for cleanup around wherever we can get people to sign up. We’re trying to spruce it up for spring. We clean up anything, any recyclables that people bring in as far as the big things.

The Tyler County cleanup will start April 4. Members of Tyler County’s 4-H Clubs will clean up the 4-H campgrounds, Middlebourne Park, and the Tyler County Museum property. Archers Chapel United Methodist Church will be cleaning their local cemetery. On April 7, the Tyler County Master Gardeners will clean up around the West Virginia University Extension Office on Main Street.

The Tyler County Solid Waste Authority will host a White Goods Day on April 4. On White Goods Day, people can bring in old appliances and receive $2 for each item. People can bring in as many items as they want. Accepted items include refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, washers, dryers, hot water tanks, freezers, etc. Only items used at home will be accepted; no commercially-used appliances will be accepted. The drop off spot is across from Arthur I. Boreman Elementary School off of W.Va. 18.

“We pay the $2 bounty on those for people to bring (appliances) and make big piles of them and we clean them up,” said Haught.

The authority will also sponsor a used tire collection at the Tyler County Fairgrounds April 4. Only 10 tires will be accepted per person; only rimless regular car or regular truck tires are to be dropped off.

The organized cleanup is just the kickoff, culminating with the Ohio River Sweep June 20 at the Paden City Boat Docks. Haught hopes people will take advantage of being able to drop of their junk. Cleaning up the county is a way to give visitors a good impression of Tyler County.

“I believe that when people are coming through our county, they’re going to be impressed one way or another,” remarked Haught. “It would be better to have a clean county than the negative. I just think that it looks better, and if a place is clean and stays clean, people are less apt to litter. If people see litter, they’re going to add to it. I just want it to look really good for the county, because we have a beautiful county and we need to keep it clean.”