Largo, MD – Prince George’s County has been recognized with a 2017 Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for the launch of two mobile software applications (apps) designed to track and report tonnage of litter captured, removed and prevented in communities and local waterways. The national awards program honors innovative, effective County government programs that enhance services for residents. PGCLitterTRAK (used by community groups and individual citizens) and LitterTRAK (used by County officials) were selected as the overall best in the category of County Resiliency: Infrastructure, Energy and Sustainability.

NACo President Bryan Desloge said, “Counties overcome complex challenges, provide essential services and constantly do more with less. We applaud these Achievement Award-winning counties for outstanding efforts to improve residents’ quality of life.”

“Litter is a nuisance in our community and has a direct effect on our quality of life in Prince George’s County,” says DoE Director Adam Ortiz. “These mobile apps assist in our fight for a litter-free County and receiving this national recognition confirms our commitment to crafting creative solutions that help keep our County clean.”

PGCLitterTRAK and LitterTRAK were developed to assist the County in its Litter Reduction Programs and various Partnerships that include:

• Clean Sweep - a coordinated inter-agency led effort to clean up communities in the Anacostia River Watershed and TNI areas that will contribute to the achievement of the mandated trash reduction rate of 170,628 pounds per year in the Anacostia River Watershed.
• Clean Up Green Up – an annual initiative designed to keep communities cleaner and greener with neighborhood plantings and beautification activities held twice a year, throughout the County.
• Comprehensive Community Cleanup – program designed to revitalize, enhance and help maintain unincorporated areas of the County by providing a concentrated focus of County cleanup and maintenance services to a community over a 2-week period.
• Volunteer Neighborhood Community Cleanup – a community-sponsored volunteer program geared toward small, medium and large-sized communities that includes neighborhood and stream cleanups. Interested communities are provided with technical assistance and materials such as trash bags, gloves, and roll-off containers when available.
• Storm Drain Stenciling – community program that helps prevent water pollution by stenciling inlets to neighborhood storm drains.
• Source reduction projects to reduce incidents of littering such as the installation of trash and recycling receptacles.
• Trash capture devices that increase capacity to remove litter in waterways which can be maintained by volunteer groups.
• Stream level trash monitoring and land-based trash surveying to provide actual measures of trash load reduction and gauges impacts of implemented measures.
• Stream cleanup services that increase the County’s capacity to remove litter from physically challenging waterways and bank areas.

NACo will recognize the award-winning Counties at its 2017 Annual Conference and Exposition July 21–24 in Franklin County, Ohio. Visit www.naco.org to view a complete list of winners.

PGCLitterTRAK app is available by registration through the PGCLitterTRAK user sign-up form. For more information on how to get involved in the fight for a Litter-Free Prince George’s County, contact Tiaa Rutherford, Litter Reduction Program Manager, at (301) 883-6226.

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