A few things of note coming up in Howard County for those of us who are interested in keeping our homes and community beautiful.

First, reminders from the Howard County Bureau of Environmental Services: 

• Seasonal curbside yardwaste collection begins again tomorrow, April 1, no joke! Recycle your yard waste and keep it out of landfills. As noted on the Public Works Website, “From April 1 through the third week in January, Howard County collects unlimited grass, leaves and light brush from residents who receive curbside yardwaste collection. If you're not sure if you receive yardwaste service, call 410-313-6444.”

• Don’t forget that GreenFest is Saturday, April 2!  The event includes free shredding and Goodwill collection, plus tons of educational opportunities and exhibits. Check it out at HCC from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

• Also starting in April, the Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Center at Alpha Ridge Landfill will be open once again Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Secondly, the county-wide spring cleanup is organized for Thursday, April 14^th.  For the second year in a row, County Executive Ken Ulman is encouraging all of us to work together in beautifying our community by “by stepping outside for 20 minutes.”

“The 20-Minute Cleanup is a convenient and simple way to challenge our community to chip in and do their part to keep Howard County beautiful,” said Ulman.  

The day is organized in order to actively urge all of us to work together. 

“Individuals, groups of friends, business colleagues, students and families are invited to choose a convenient time to safely pick up litter around their office building, school or neighborhood and then see the difference just 20 minutes can make.  Trash and recyclables collected during the project should be disposed of using regular business or residential pick-up, but the county encourages all participants to recycle everything they can.” 

This is a great idea, but you earn kudos from the county even if you just clean your own yard a bit, because the cleaner your neighborhood is, the higher your property value will be, according to Keep America Beautiful.  Check out the details of the event here.

Thirdly, Saturday, April 2, there will be a water cleanup at the New Cut Road stream here in Ellicott City.  The event is run by The Friends of Pat­ap­sco Val­ley and Her­itage Green­way starting at 9 a.m. and running until noon.  If you are interested in participating, please check their web­site to reg­is­ter or e-mail patapscofriend@gmail.com for more infor­ma­tion.

Enjoy the start of spring, and if you can, please take the time to participate in one of these worthwhile local events.

This article has been edited to indicate that GreenFest is Saturday, April 2.