Hawthorne plans Great American Cleanup

 In an effort to give back to the community, residents of Hawthorne will be participating in Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest community improvement program on April 2 at 7 a.m.

Volunteers from the Hawthorne Area Community Foundation, chamber of commerce, public works department, local churches and other organizations along with the residents and city officials will be helping to clean the city, getting rid of any trash and debris they see in the area.

“It’s just a wonderful resource for the community to come together and clean the city free of charge,” Interim City Manager Ellen Vause said. “It gives residents the opportunity to show their pride in the community.”

Waste Pro, the privately owned full service solid waste and recycling company that services Hawthorne, will be donating the tipping fees and roll off trash bins for residents and commercial businesses in the area to drop off their debris and waste at a central location.

The company has partnered with the city for at least five years to make the event a success.

According to Dana Miller, the municipal marketing representative at Waste Pro, the cleanup is another chance for them to get involved with the community.

“We don’t just want to be the garbage people,” she said. “We want to be a community partner. Waste Pro is really proud to be a part of it and to help contribute to making Hawthorne a cleaner place to live.”

Waste Pro is the largest solid waste and recycling company in the Southeastern United States, covering seven different states and serving 1.3 million customers.

According to the Web site, in 2010, volunteers donated more than 5.7 million hours to clean and improve more than 33,000 communities nationwide.

At a city commission meeting Tuesday, Mayor Eleanor Randall encouraged all residents to participate in the event.