Newark Hosting Cleanup Day Oct. 4

Mayor Cory A. Booker, the Municipal Council, Neighborhood and Recreational Services Director Tharien Karim Arnold, and New Jersey Clean Communities Council Executive Director Sandy Huber have announced  that the City of Newark, in partnership with Essex County, will host the 10th Annual “Gateway to a Cleaner Newark Citywide Cleanup” on Thursday, Oct. 4 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. The cleanup will take place rain or shine, starting and ending at Lincoln Park on Broad Street and Clinton Avenue.  Residents and business owners are being challenged to support this annual event and break out brooms and bags to clean up Newark’s empty lots and sweep litter from streets, in an effort to “Slam Dunk the Junk”―the annual theme.
 
“Gateway Cleanup Day has become a great tradition in the City of Newark. For 10 years, it has showcased our determination to make our beloved Newark a clean City,” Mayor Booker said. “Residents of all ages and a variety of community organizations come together to remove trash from our streets and plant flowers, which manifests our unity and commitment to making our neighborhoods greener, cleaner, and safer. I congratulate all the participants for a decade of teamwork and partnership on this important annual event.”
 
Teams can register in advance. Individual volunteers will be assigned to a team on Oct. 4, and are  responsible for their own transportation. Walk-in volunteers can register the day of the event at Lincoln Park from 8  to 9 a.m. and can choose their own sites to clean from the list, which will be provided that day. Volunteer Cleanup teams will gather and meet at the park to pick up supplies. All organizations must provide travel arrangements for their teams to their designated site locations. Teams will remove trash from 9 a.m. until noon. The teams will then return to Lincoln Park for lunch and an awards ceremony. Awards will go to the teams of volunteers that remove the most litter. Awards will also be given for interesting, educational, or unusual trash picked up. The City of Newark’s Department of Neighborhood and Recreational Services will provide equipment for the cleanup crews. Cleanup sites will be selected prior to the event.
 
The clean-up will begin at 8 a.m. with a yoga and stretching session for all participants, hosted by the Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District. Lotus Yoga Newark instructor Jennifer Kohl will lead the session. Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District will also provide 40 volunteers to clean that day.
 
Event sponsors include Essex County, the Newark Downtown District, the Greater Newark Conservancy, Integrity House, Waste Management of New Jersey, Ace Environmental Services, Covanta Energy Corporation, JetBlue, The Coca-Cola Company, ShopRite, PSE&G, the Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District, Wells Fargo, Investors Bank, Bank of America, Anheuser-Busch, and Newark Public Schools.
 
Teams and individuals can continue to register right up to the morning of the event, or donate food, funds, or supplies. For more information, a list of sites to be cleaned, or to register, contact the City of Newark Office of Recycling at(973) 733-6685 or by fax at (973) 733-5974. You can also register with the New Jersey Clean Communities Council at: (609) 989-5900 or by fax at: (609) 989-9066, or by e-mail at njccc@njclean.org. You can also visit their website atwww.njclean.org.