Lake County, FL – Keep Lake Beautiful (KLB) is hosting a special event on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, to help beautify the community and dispose of items that could become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The event will run from 9 a.m. to noon at Groveland Downtown Festival Park, 117 N. Main Ave. in Groveland, and a volunteer-only location at Mascotte City Hall, 100 E. Myers Blvd. in Mascotte.

KLB invites volunteers and residents to participate in the following event activities:

· Community Clean Up: Event check-in will begin at 8:40 a.m. at Groveland Downtown Festival Park and Mascotte City Hall. Volunteers will work in groups to help clean up the surrounding community by collecting and disposing of litter. Preregistration for the event is available online at https://lakecountyfl.gov/keep_lake_beautiful/#events; participants may also register at the event. KLB will provide safety vests, trash bags, gloves, and water to those helping to keep our communities clean and trash free. Volunteers must be 16 years or older or be accompanied by an adult. Participants are encouraged to wear proper attire, sunscreen, and insect repellent.

Tires, bulk items, and household hazardous waste will only be accepted at Groveland Downtown Festival Park:

· Bulk Item Drop-Off: Residents are encouraged to clean their homes and yards and dispose of excess trash, passenger car tires, and other items detrimental to the community’s cleanliness.

· Household Hazardous Waste Drop Off: Lake County’s Hazardous Waste Mobile Unit will be on-site to accept hazardous household waste items, including paint, fuel, and more.

· Waste Tire Amnesty Day: Residents with a photo I.D. and proof of a Lake County address may dispose of up to 24 car tires that measure 40 inches or less for free. Large commercial tires will not be accepted.

Sponsored by Keep Lake Beautiful, Lake County Solid Waste, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, this event seeks to reduce the number of unsightly waste tires collecting water and creating ideal breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes.

KLB also encourages residents to use the County’s Litter Reporter website, http://gis.lakecountyfl.gov/crowdsource/, to help pinpoint areas needing a cleanup; users can submit data about a particular region and attach corresponding photos. Keep Lake Beautiful monitors submissions and proposes cleanup efforts and community events as needed.

Since its launch, KLB has partnered with or hosted over 50 projects, including community and waterway cleanups, roadside litter pickups, neighborhood and school beautification events, tree plantings, and household hazardous waste collection events.

For more information about Keep Lake Beautiful, to register as a volunteer for this event, or to become a sponsor of future events, visit https://lakecountyfl.gov/keep_lake_beautiful/ or call 352-253-1660.