EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County offers a free program to help reduce litter and maintain cleanliness throughout its communities.

The county’s Building and Zoning Department’s Clean Communities Program offers residents a free resource tool kit, which includes trash bags, reflective vests, gloves and litter grabbers to go out and pick up trash.

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"We are focused on ways to reduce the amount of litter in the county and this resource helps battle that problem,” Building and Zoning Administrator Chris Doucleff said. "Providing free resources for residents can impact change."

Doucleff said the program continues to make strides in fighting the waste and debris that contaminates local water sources and roadways. He said since the program’s inception of in March 2021, volunteers have picked up more than 4,500 tool kits to tackle the litter in their communities.

The county regularly receives complaints about litter along the county’s roads and ditches.

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“We have made trash pickup a priority,” he said. “It’s not always easy, but this is something we are doing for those who want to go out and pick up trash themselves.”

Resource Management Coordinator Brandon Banks said with the start of spring, the county is once again ready to “hit the ground running” and tackle the litter problem.

“This is the time of year that people start noticing trash more,” Banks said. “Although litter is an everyday problem and is working to make sure it gets picked up, the county also wants to provide the public with the tools for an everyday solution.”

To request a tool kit, volunteers are asked to fill out an online form to request the number of tool kits needed. Visit www.madisoncountybz.com or call (618) 296-4468 for questions or more information about the program.

Volunteers can pick up their resource tool kit at the Madison County Administration Building, 157 N. Main St., Suite 254, Edwardsville.

“We want to keep our streets, roads and highways clean,” Doucleff said. “It’s not always easy, especially with two landfills in the county. However, we will keep working to find solutions when residents do complain about the trash.”

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