CINCINNATI — For years, littering has been an issue for county parks throughout the state. It not only affects the carbon footprint, but also the animals and their habitats.
Patricia Bender is on a mission to clean up as much trash as possible. She’s one of 150 volunteers who took part in Hamilton County’s Winton Woods’ cleanup. Beer bottles and cigarettes are just some of things she found.
“Balls that are cut in half, plastic containers, caps to water bottles that people just throw out,” said Bender.
Cleaning up trash at the park isn’t anything new to Bender. She’s been doing this for several years now. Not only does she enjoy cleaning up the park, but she also loves being in nature.
“It’s so nice to be out in the sun. Surprisingly, the sun is out,” she said. “Just take in nature listening to the birds, hoping you see a deer or even a ground hog.”
This is the 33rd year of this event at Winton Woods park in Cincinnati. In 2021, volunteers collected 73 bags of recyclables and 1.8 tons of trash. It’s all to help improve Winton Lake and the surrounding area to create a better environment for visitors and wildlife.
“Some of this stuff is pretty toxic to the ground,” she said. “Some of it will never disintegrate. I would hate to leave a foot print.”
Bender said cleaning up the environment is the responsibility of everyone. That’s because it will make for a better future for generations to come.
“Everyone within the community should be volunteering somewhere,” she said. “There are many, many counties and parks that do this. I feel that everyone has a responsibility to the planet.”
