BATON ROUGE, LA — February 5, 2020 — Today, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced the results of the January 2020 installment of Operation Fresh Start, the mayor’s parish-wide litter abatement and beautification campaign. This quarters Operation Fresh Start began on Saturday, January 18, with a volunteer-led community cleanup effort at several locations across East Baton Rouge Parish.

This quarter’s Operation Fresh Start was held in partnership with the 2020 MLK Fest, a week-long event sponsored by the non-profit, The Walls Project, intended to revitalize and reactivate neighborhoods in Baton Rouge through the support of volunteers. More than 3,500 volunteers championed community cleanups in an effort to reduce blight and remove litter in highly visible corridors. The Mayor’s office also partners with Keep Baton Rouge Beautiful, the local non-profit serving as the principal anti-litter organization in the greater Baton Rouge region.

“We continue to be aggressive about addressing blight in our community, and with the support of non-profits, businesses and volunteers, we can have an even more significant impact on improving the appearance and quality of place of all of East Baton Rouge Parish,” said Mayor-President Broome. “These quarterly Operation Fresh Start beautification efforts not only show our commitment to eliminating litter and reducing blight, but they also bring together this community around a common cause that is a driving force for positive change.”

Between Jan. 20 and Jan. 27, East Baton Rouge Public Works crews aggressively cleared litter and blight throughout the parish. Last month’s Operation Fresh Start produced the following results:

• 219.8 tons (439,600 lbs) of trash and debris collected and disposed
• 1,099 abandoned tires in the public right-of-way collected and disposed
• 514 illegally placed signs collected and disposed
• 165 trash and debris piles collected and disposed
• 678 bags of trash collected by volunteers

Additionally, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) participated in Operation Fresh Start by cleaning along the Interstate 10 and 110 corridors. DOTD also cleared trash along state highways and unclogged 110 drains of debris. Republic Services also joined the program by supporting cleanup efforts and providing equipment and supplies for the volunteer cleanup.

Since it began in July 2018, Operation Fresh Start has netted the collection of over 1,065 tons of trash and debris, the disposal of 9,376 illegally abandoned tires, and nearly 3,800 bags of trash.

The next installment of Operation Fresh Start will take place in the second quarter of 2020. For more information, contact Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Rowdy Gaudet at 225-389-5109.