ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla — In 2023, the St. Johns County Road and Bridge Department picked up more than 49 tons of roadside debris throughout the community.
During the February Board of County Commission meeting, the St. Johns County Solid Waste Department announced its new “Get Hooked” initiative to educate and engage residents, increase awareness and provide action items to prevent litter.
The campaign’s slogan “Get Hooked! We need all hands on deck to keep SJC litter-free,” is inspired by the County’s solid waste mascot Captain Reducio.
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“This is a great way to inform St. Johns County residents of the litter issue and how they can help to keep the county clean and litter-free,” St. Johns County Public Works Director Greg Caldwell said.
The “Get Hooked” initiative will create anti-litter campaigns, educate the community to secure their truck loads carrying items that could become possible roadside debris, and recruit organized groups to participate in the existing adopt-a-road program.
Overall, the initiative will develop a series of call-to-action opportunities for the public to “Get Hooked” into taking pride in keeping St. Johns County looking great.
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St. Johns County resident and anti-litter ambassador Elizabeth Joshi said, “I feel this is a great start to combat the issue of litter in our beautiful community. My friends and I are involved in clean up activities. We are already on board and I am hopeful that the Get Hooked initiative will get even more people on board.”
The initiative will feature images of Captain Reducio in social media posts working alongside with community partners, official “Get Hooked” merchandise distributed at certain County-sponsored events, and litter clean up events. The New Year’s Trash Bash held in January was a success with more than 300 volunteers collecting more than 700 pounds of debris from seven different beach locations.
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The two anti-litter components of the initiative will encourage residents to join the County’s Adopt-A-Road program and to secure their load.
Supporters of the County’s anti-litter efforts and “Get Hooked” include the GTM Research Reserve, Mantanzas Riverkeeper, Scenic & Historic A1A Coastal Byway,
Keep St. Johns Beautiful, Sol Margin Fishing Conservation Fishing, St. Johns County Parks and Recreation, St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and Beaches Go Green.
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