Alabama PALS (People Against Pittered State)'s annual “Don't Litter Alabama” statewide spring cleanup and recycling event officially kicked off at the Alabama State Capitol on Tuesday.

PALS is partnering with community colleges, Coca-Cola United, the Alabama Farmers Federation and the Resource Conservation District for the 2024 “Don't Drop It on Alabama” spring cleanup.

PALS has strategic partnerships with the Alabama Council of Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) and Alabama's community and technical colleges.

During Community College Month in April, Alabama's 24 community and technical colleges will work with city, county and local officials to complete projects that help beautify Alabama through trash pick-up and recycling efforts. The project is being carried out in partnership with Alabama PALS, Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED and the Alabama RC&D Council.

Drayton Cosby is the program director for the Alabama RC&D program.

“All of us involved with 'Don't Drop It on Alabama' appreciate the beauty of our state,” Cosby said. “This campaign aligns closely with RC&D's important goal of promoting and protecting Alabama's natural resources.”

“It's an honor to be here today and I want to thank you for helping clean up our beautiful state. We have a beautiful state,” Cosby said. “Alabama has blessed us for over 25 years.”

Cosby praised the support he has received from lawmakers, including House Speaker Nathaniel Leadbetter (R-Rainsville).

“Chairman Leadbetter is a very strong supporter of RC&D,” Cosby said.

“Last year, this group picked up 600 tons of trash across the state,” Leadbetter said. “They're in every neighborhood. It shows what they think and that they care about our community.”

“I believe Alabama is the most beautiful state,” Leadbetter said. “From Little River Canyon in my own district to the beaches along the Alabama coast that bring visitors from far and wide, our state truly has it all. We are blessed to live in beautiful Alabama, and it is our responsibility to protect it for future generations.”

“People are now starting to notice our state because of magazine articles about how beautiful our state is,” Leadbetter continued. “Let's take care of our state. Throwing trash on the side of the road is something we really don't need to do.”

Spencer Ryan is executive vice president of Alabama PALS.

“Alabama PALS is proud of the many partnerships that make Alabama PALS' many statewide programs possible,” said Ryan. “These collaborative and committed partners share the same mission: 'Working Together for a Cleaner, More Beautiful Alabama.' PALS is proud to partner with Coca-Cola United as the title sponsor of the 2024 'Don't Litter Alabama' statewide spring cleanup. We are also honored to have ACCS and RC&D as partners in this year's 2024 ACCS campus cleanup and recycling efforts,” said Spencer Ryan with PALS.

“Partnerships are key to the success of this project,” Ryan said. “We're all working together toward a common goal: to make Alabama beautiful.”

“We have a staff of three,” Ryan says, “and we run this through a network of volunteers, and we'd like to thank our sponsors and partners who make this possible.”

Tony Harris is the Public Affairs Director for the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT).

Harris explained that ALDOT is responsible for maintaining thousands of miles of highways in Alabama, and part of that maintenance includes retrieving anything that Alabamians throw out of their car windows, inadvertently blow out of the beds of their pickup trucks, or that falls off commercial trucks because their loads weren't secured.

“The Alabama Department of Transportation has spent $9 million to clean trash from roads across the state, but they're still struggling to keep up,” Harris said.

Harris said PALS helps clean up Alabama's roads, but they're also committed to changing the culture through education efforts.

“The Alabama Department of Highway and Transportation is fortunate to have so many great partners in our efforts to keep Alabama's roads clean, including the Alabama Community College System,” Harris said.

Jimmy H. Baker is president of ACCS.

“For 61 years, the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) has made the most transformative footprint across Alabama communities. Our event with Alabama RC&D and ALPALS highlights how committed we are to working with our partners to serve Alabama in all the ways that matter to our state's success,” Baker said.

David Walters is Vice-Chancellor of ACCS.

“We are proud to be a part of this great effort,” Walters said. “Alabama is a beautiful place to live and raise a family.”

“Our name has community in it,” Walters said. “We're really committed to the community.”

“I think what we're doing here is one of the things we're doing to make our state better,” Walters continued. “We're better together. We can accomplish things individually, but we're not at the same level as when we come together as a team. Part of this effort is picking up litter to make our state better.”

Sonny Brasfield is executive director of the Alabama Association of County Commissioners.

“Our decades-long partnership with Alabama PALS during our annual spring cleanup continues to be one of the most rewarding endeavors across all 67 counties,” Brasfield said. “The event is popular with county officials, staff and residents because it gives everyone an opportunity to come together and demonstrate their shared pride and dedication to their county. We are grateful for the important work of Alabama PALS as they continue to promote the beautification of our great state.”

Jeff Helms is the communications director for the Alabama Farmers Federation.

“Our small forest owners and farmers are on the front lines of the litter issue,” Helms said. “They understand the importance of being good stewards of the land.”

“We're very proud to be able to expand our reach by partnering with RC&D, Coca-Cola and the community college system,” Helms said. “I come from the community college system, and I can tell you we have the best community college system in the world.”

“If you see trash lying around, pick it up,” Helms said. “We have to focus on education, and that starts in the classrooms of preschool, elementary school and high school.”

Alabama PALS’ (People Against a Pittered State) annual “Don’t Litter Alabama” statewide spring cleanup and recycling event continues to grow, with more community colleges joining the effort this year through a partnership with the Alabama Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council.

During Community College Month in April, Alabama's 24 community and technical colleges will partner with city, county and local officials to complete projects that help beautify Alabama through litter pick-up and recycling efforts. The projects, done in partnership with Alabama People Against a Littery State (Alabama PALS), Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED and the Alabama RC&D Council, range from picking up litter along roads to helping beautify entrances and exits to local parks, cities and facilities.

In 2023, the event resulted in more than 600 tons of trash and debris being removed from Alabama roads, highways and communities.

Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth praised the spring cleanup effort.

“From the mountains in the north to the coast in the south and everywhere in between, Alabama is one of the most beautiful states in America, and it's important that we do everything we can to preserve that beauty,” Ainsworth said in a statement. “Trash robs people of the opportunity to experience the natural wonders Alabama has to offer, so combating litter must remain a top priority.”

Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) said he was proud of the efforts to keep Alabama beautiful.

“From the Shoals to the Gulf of Mexico, Alabama offers some of God's most amazing creations, and we must all do our part to preserve Alabama's beauty,” Reed said in a statement. “Our natural wonders are a great resource for our state, and trash and litter tarnish these environmental assets. I am extremely proud of our efforts to preserve Alabama's beauty for our children and future generations.”

Senator Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) is the Senate Minority Leader.

“I'm grateful to everyone at Alabama People Against Littering for all the hard work they do every year to keep Alabama clean,” Singleton said in a statement. “By building partnerships with community colleges, they are teaching young people the importance of caring for our environment and showing them that caring for our community is everyone's responsibility.”

Rep. Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville) is the Minority Leader in the Alabama House of Representatives.

“Being a father also sets an example for your children, and one of the most important things I've learned as a father is that you should teach your children to respect the environment and the world around them,” Daniels said. “Especially in Alabama, we're blessed to live in such a beautiful state, and it's up to all of us to keep it that way.”

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