Keep Mohawk Valley Beautiful, a six-county affiliate of the national Keep America Beautiful program and a standing committee of the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District, has announced its plans to launch the 18th annual Great American Cleanup, starting April 1 and running through May 31. 

Each spring Keep America Beautiful affiliates engage more than 4 million volunteers in more than 20,000 communities nationwide, the local chapter said.

“We intend to have local volunteers in the six-county Mohawk Valley Region take action to work on beautifying and cleaning areas along the canal and other waterways, parks, recreation areas and streets,” said Sam Russo, chairman of the KMVB Board of Directors.

A partner in the cleanup program is the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority.

Groups who register their events on the ohswa.org website are eligible to receive free materials including gloves, trash bags, and other assistance, the announcement added.

Keep Mohawk Valley Beautiful is also offering a litter hotline so that residents can report areas with litter, debris or potential threats to public health.

Residents can anonymously call the Litter Hotline at 315-733-1224, option 4, and KMVB will notify the appropriate municipalities for action, according to officials with the local Keep America Beautiful chapter.

A kick-off event is planned for 10 a.m. March 15 at the office of Mohawk Valley Economic Development District, 26 West Main St., Mohawk. RSVP is requested at 315-866-4671 or info@mvedd.org.

To donate funding or materials, call 315-733-1224, ext. 2300.