Not too often can you measure success through garbage but that is exactly what happened with the inaugural Lawrence County Cleanup last year.

The event attracted more than 1,000 volunteers who collected nearly an equal number of bags of trash.

Hopefully, the 2010 edition can set the bar even higher and build off this tremendous momentum of civic pride and volunteerism.

The county has officially set the event for May 1 and we anticipate some of the smaller events like Ironton Volunteer Day that helped spawn this effort will be the same day again this year.

This is a truly worthwhile project that brought hundreds of people from all walks of life together to work toward the common goal of making our community cleaner, more presentable to visitors and just a better place to live.

Events like this are crucial to our community’s success on several levels. The obvious one is the tangible and visible impact. But it is far more difficult to gauge what this does to bolster community spirit, develop partnerships and push involvement.

This event allows anyone to get involved and make a difference, regardless of time schedules or physical condition. Organizers can find something for everyone to do.

Anyone interested in participating can contact the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District at (740) 532-1231.

If success is measured in trash, we hope to see it continue to pile up for this cleanup effort.