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PRIDEWAYS SPONSORS RECOGNIZED FOR LEADERSHIP IN STATEWIDE LITTER REDUCTION

PalmettoPride Presents Sponsors with Plaques at 2008 Grants Luncheon

Columbia, SC – PalmettoPride honored 73 Palmetto Prideways sponsors Wednesday at the 2008 Grants Luncheon in front of legislators, local governments' leaders  and grant recipients.  This recognition acknowledges their leadership and good will to the state of South Carolina in cleaning up litter and promoting a beautiful state to residents and visitors.  Due to their dedication to a better South Carolina, litter has been reduced by 41% in the state.

Palmetto Prideways was created in collaboration with SC Department of Corrections (SCDC) and the SC Department of Transportation (SCDOT) as a true public-private endeavor to keep South Carolina beautiful.  Its structure is similar to Adopt-A-Highway in that businesses sponsor a 2-miles stretch of interstate for cleanup.  This sponsorship funds a minimum of two clean ups a month by volunteer inmate crews at SCDC and signage placed by SCDOT indicating the sponsoring company's name that marks the beginning of the section on both sides of the highway. 

A Prideways Sponsor receives good will exposure to the hundreds of thousands of vehicles that travel down our highways every day.  South Carolina has one of the most traveled highway systems in the country, with five interstates crossing the state. Residents, visitors, potential business investors travel down our highways every day.  A Prideways sponsor stands out as a leader in litter eradication, highway safety, highway beautification, economic development and overall state quality of life. 

Prideways sponsors pay around $4,000 annually per section.  That pays for the bi-weekly cleaning of each segment and aides SCDC in expenses.  As a new provision this year, PalmettoPride and SCDC have shared expenses for three new litter supervisors with the sole responsibility of taking crews out to remove litter five days a week, up to seven hours a day.

“PalmettoPride has given back so much to our agency in programs and financial support,” said Gerri Miro, Director of Programs and Services with SCDC. “Through Prideways sponsorships, SCDC has been able to replace vans, bring on additional supervisors to take out crews and purchase other equipment that help run the program.”

SCDC crews have removed 18 million pounds of litter from our highways in seven years, according to data collected from SCDC.  Statistics show that in 2001, inmates were picking up on average 11.5 bags per mile and covering fewer miles.  By 2007, inmates are picking up on average 6 bags per mile, and, because of the high reduction, they are covering more miles per day than seven years ago.  Data collected is based on number of bags picked up per mile.  Since 2001, 919,500 bags of trash have been picked up. 

“It takes every organization and all citizens in our state to eliminate litter from our highways, parks, beaches, rivers and communities.  While progress has been made, we still have a long way to go.  When all take the extra second to put litter in its proper place, we will see litter eliminated,” said Rick Cothran, Director of Operations for PalmettoPride. 

For more information on Palmetto Prideways, please contact Sandra Bryan at PalmettoPride at 877-725-7733.  A list of Prideways sponsors are as follows:

PalmettoPride is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating litter and promoting beautification in South Carolina.  We will accomplish this goal using a 4-pronged approach: education, enforcement, awareness and pickup. 

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