Spring has arrived, and that means it is time for Lake Cumberland Clean Sweep 2023.

Businesses, students, organizations, and individual volunteers are encouraged to pitch in and pick up roadside litter at different locations in and around Somerset and Pulaski County on Thursday, April 20, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. during the annual Clean Sweep.

The Lake Cumberland Clean Sweep, hosted by Eastern Kentucky PRIDE (Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment), is held each year to promote environmental cleanup, educational awareness, and economic development in preparation for the upcoming tourist season in the Lake Cumberland area.

“The Clean Sweep has quickly grown to be our largest spring cleanup event across the region, with as many as 1,500 volunteers participating annually. We’re excited to expand this event yet again to the Lake Cumberland Clean Sweep,” said Tammie Nazario, President and CEO of Eastern Kentucky PRIDE. “It’s a great opportunity to get outside and show our pride for our beautiful region while also preparing it for the upcoming tourism season.”

Clean Sweep volunteers are encouraged to pre-register prior to the event, so they can be assigned an area to clean and receive their trash bags, gloves, and safety vests early. Volunteers unable to register in advance may sign up on the day of the event, starting at 8:30 a.m., at The Center for Rural Development at 2292 South U.S. 27 (at Traffic Light 15) in Somerset.

“The Center for Rural Development is happy to partner with PRIDE on this worthwhile event,” said Laura Glover, Managing Director of Marketing and Events. “We love our community and want to see it thrive and grow. One of the ways to do that is to promote a clean, inviting community where visitors can feel welcome to our region.” 

The clean-up campaign, which coincides with the arrival of spring, is a countywide effort to promote environmental stewardship and pride in the community.

“As always, we are excited about the Lake Cumberland Clean Sweep,” said Danny Masten, Pulaski County PRIDE coordinator and the county’s Solid Waste Coordinator. “There are plenty of areas along Highway 27 to plug groups into, or we can find areas that are more convenient for a business closer to their operations. We often hear from groups that participate about how much they enjoy taking part in the Clean Sweep.”

Volunteers picking up roadside litter along U.S. 27, downtown Somerset, industrial parks, and KY 914 Bypass are requested to leave their filled trash bags along the side of the road for the state Highway Department to pick up. In other areas of the county, volunteers may call 677-0320 to arrange for pick up.

Volunteers may pre-register by calling/emailing Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, 677-6150, PRIDE@centertech.com or contacting the Pulaski County Recycling Center, 677-0320, dmasten@pcgovt.com.

The Lake Cumberland Clean Sweep is sponsored by Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, Pulaski County Recycling Center, The Center for Rural Development, Somerset-Pulaski County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 8, and Waste Connections of Kentucky.

This is PRIDE’s 26th year of partnering with communities to keep the region’s clean and healthy. Since 1997, 444,182 people have volunteered with PRIDE, more than 992,070 bags of trash and 972,251 tires have been pulled from hillsides and waterways.

Eastern Kentucky PRIDE was founded by U.S. Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05) and the late James Bickford, who was Kentucky’s Secretary for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. The PRIDE mission is to contribute to the economic and cultural growth of Southern and Eastern Kentucky by improving water quality, cleaning up solid waste problems and advancing environmental education, in order to improve living conditions for its residents while enhancing the potential for tourism industry growth in the region.