2019 Trash Bowl Trophy Presented

Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy- A Challenge Foundation Academy showcase some of the motivated individuals that pushed them into the winners circle for the Trash Bowl Trophy.

Recently members of the Keep RC Beautiful Committee presented Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy (TJCA) with the 2019 Trash Bowl Trophy and officially named them the Trash Bowl Champions. TJCA filled two dumpsters along with large debris collected by North Carolina Department of Transportation, and ultimately collected the majority of the litter, totaling 2,714 pounds. In second place, with 840 pounds of trash and a community of support, was Lake Lure Classical Academy. East Rutherford took third place, with R-S Central in fourth and Chase finishing in fifth.

Clark Poole, Executive Director for the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, said the fall clean up event "was a huge success and we are cognizant that TJCA will defend their title with gumption in 2020."

While the competition was fun, the community collaboration was also a significant "win" for Rutherford County. Republic Waste Services donated the dumpsters and manpower to get them placed and picked up on site at the schools.

Rutherford Waste Management visited all sites to confirm that the trash was indeed roadside trash and collected the ballot boxes made available by the Board of Elections. Salem United Methodist Church parked their pick up truck on East Rutherford Middle School's campus to transport bags to the high school. The school leadership was also instrumental in allowing such an event to occur.

Brad White, High School Principal of Lake Lure Classical Academy said, "It was a great community event and we were glad to get the students involved. We had over 70 high school students picking up trash on Wednesday before our break. The Rutherford County Police Department was a huge help, as well."

The Rutherford County Trash Bowl resulted in a combined litter collection of 6,300 pounds of trash from across Rutherford County. The week-long collection brings the 2019 annual tally of litter removed from Rutherford County to 26,000 pounds, which equates to more than 13 tons.

Keep RC Beautiful continues to respond to the call of County Commissioners to beautify the county with a focus on litter sweeps, education, and marketing. The next Community-Wide Spring Litter Sweep will be April 18-April 26, 2020. Fall 2020 Trash Bowl dates will be released in spring.