History

Pictures by Eddie Hand

In January 2021, Tom Miller and Eddie Hand were sharing with each other how much trash was a long our roads in Cullman County.  The idea of creating a volunteer group of locals to pickup trash was born.  They contacted a local organization called “PALS” or “People Against a Littered State” and gained some ideas on how this effort could be realized.

The original concept was to create volunteer teams that would work within various zones in the county, on a monthly basis.  The efforts of the volunteers was limited such that it didn’t become a part-time or second job for them.  Coordination was made with the Cullman County Sheriff’s office so that one of the sheriff deputies could tag along during these pickup days to keep the volunteers safe from oncoming traffic along the roadway.

Various local businesses and organizations participated in sponsorships to cover expenses and supplies (click to see list of sponsors involved).  Safety procedures and processes were defined, and a list of volunteers was created.  Ready for the first pickup!

In April 2021, the first pickup date was set.  Our initial group of volunteers came out and picked up trash in an area near Lewis Smith Lake.  After a few pickups, it was determined that the volunteer teams needed to be somewhat smaller to allow everyone to be able to more efficient in the pickup.  And it was decided to do normally schedule pickups once per month to keep the efforts reasonable amongst the willingness of the volunteers.

In January of 2022, it was decided to limit the trash pickup locations to only secondary roads.  The Cullman County Sheriff’s Department utilized the local prisoners to pickup trash along the major roads.  Typically, the pickup dates are Monday through Thursday, and occasionally on Saturday.  And from November to February, pickups are suspended for holidays and cold weather.