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A Houston city official who was appointed in September 2020 by Mayor Sylvester Turner to lead a citywide anti-litter campaign is encouraging residents to couple the crusade with the city’s 185th anniversary.
Houston Vice Mayor Pro-Tem Martha Castex-Tatum wants Houstonians to clean up the city in honor of its 185th year anniversary. The anti-litter campaign was established “to encourage Houstonians to properly dispose of face masks, gloves, sanitizer wipes and other trash,” when Houston was experiencing a personal protective equipment litter problem at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a press release said.
“Let’s celebrate the 185th birthday of Houston by picking up the litter in our beloved city! Get your grabber, trash bag and a friend and let’s clean up our communities. Imagine if we each picked up 185 pieces of litter and encouraged others to do the same,” Castex-Tatum tweeted on Twitter.
With a population in July 2018 of over 2.3 million people, Houston is the nation’s fourth most populous city, About Houston reported.
At 665 square miles, Houston was founded on Aug. 30, 1836, by Augustus C. and John K. Allen, who were brothers. They paid over $1.40 per acre for 6,642 acres on the banks of Buffalo Bayou, the Greater Houston Partnership said.
“‘Don't Let Houston Go to Waste’ and ‘Litter is Trashy’ are two of the slogans that will remind people to keep Houston clean by throwing all used items in trash cans and dumpsters,” the press release announcing the anti-litter campaign said.
Castex-Tatum said at the time of her appointment to lead the anti-litter campaign that the alarm must be sounded to encourage Houstonians to join in the solution to littering.
“We have all noticed the significant increase in litter around our city,” Castex-Tatum said in the press release. "We must address the uptick in illegal dumping in our parks and streets because COVID waste is being washed into our storm drains and waterways.”