Armed with trash bags, pickup sticks, gloves and safety vests, volunteers fanned out all over Slidell last Saturday morning for the annual Citywide Fall Cleanup and Beautification Day.

Sponsored by the city’s Keep Slidell Beautiful Committee, the event was, according to KSB Executive Director Bill Mauser, a great success.

“It was the best citywide cleanup we’ve had yet,” Mauser said.

Edward Johnson, left, and John Catalanotto hand a basket of flower and plants to Kalaonga Siamwiza to hang on a lamp post on First Street in Olde Towne Saturday. The three men, who work for MWT Environmental Consultants, were taking part in the Slidell Fall Citywide Cleanup and Beautification Day. (Staff Photo by Erik Sanzenbach)

Over 470 volunteers from 40 different civic and non-profit organizations participated in the cleanup. Mauser said this was the largest group of volunteers to turn out for the event. There were Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, schools, individuals, and entire families that showed pride in their city by cleaning up.

For Mauser, the best thing about the cleanup was the small number of trash bags collected at the end of the cleanup.

This year there were only 180 bags, one-fourth the number of bags from the last cleanup.

“The bags were only half-full,” Mauser said. “It was very important to see that happen.”

Less trash on the streets means the aggressive campaign by the KSB to clean up Slidell is having an effect. Besides the annual citywide cleanups, the KSB has tried to educate the populace about litter and promoting beautification. The committee has sold hanging baskets of flowers to adorn the streets of Olde Towne and sold aesthetically-pleasing trash cans for the city. There has also been an extra focus on cigarette butt litter, with the KSB handing out portable ashtrays and selling those tall, thin cigarette receptacles one sees outside of businesses and public buildings.

Though there was a lot less litter on the streets, cigarette butts still pose a problem.

“I seem to be picking up a lot more butts,” said Tom Williams of the Slidell Noon Lions Club as he picked up trash along Third Street.

The lack of trash meant the event ended in less than a hour and a half, shorter than last year’s cleanup, Mauser said.

Beautification was a very important part of this year’s cleanup. Mauser said one-third of the volunteers were assigned duties other than picking up trash. A group of volunteers planted flowers and bushes at a new garden created at the triangle where Front, First and Fremaux streets meet. There were volunteers at Greenwood Cemetery mulching trees, clearing the underbrush and painting tombstones. A group of Boy Scouts gathered at Pearl’s Memorial Garden in John Slidell Park, planting, pruning and mulching. Other volunteers painted the dugouts in the park’s baseball fields.

In Olde Towne, a group of volunteers changed out the hanging planters and repainted the trash cans. There were other volunteer gardeners who helped beautify the medians on Gause Boulevard with flowers, plants and mulch.