Despite rainy conditions, a record number of volunteers turned out Saturday to participate in Hillsborough's Big Sweep event.

Ninety volunteers cleaned up five areas around Hillsborough and northern Orange County, collecting an estimated 2,470 pounds of trash.

“While we didn’t eclipse last year’s record in total weight, we did set a local record for number of volunteers,” Terry Hackett, coordinator of the Hillsborough Big Sweep event, said in a statement. “Having 90 volunteers on a rainy, cool Saturday morning is outstanding.”

Most of the items collected included cans and bottles as well as various scrap metal. About 475 pounds of the total weight were separated as recyclable. Some unusual finds included two lawnmowers, a clothes dryer, two desks, shingles, tile and railroad rails.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Roadside Environmental Unit is setting up for thousands of people expected at the State Fair, which begins Thursday and runs through Sunday, Oct. 25.

The unit, which will have a booth within the Gardeners of Wake County Flower Show near the Village of Yesteryear, will focus on the state’s litter prevention initiatives, wildflower and daylily programs, stormwater management, rest areas and the Scenic Byways Program.

There will also be Wildflower Program promotional items such as the “Go Wild” wildflower screensavers, wildflower baseball caps, T-shirts and seed packets. These items will be available in return for a donation to the NCDOT Wildflower Program.

For more information on NCDOT's litter prevention initiatives, visit www.ncdot.gov/~beautification.
 

The North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA) has released the 2009 North Carolina Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Industries Census, which identified 10,250 green energy jobs.

The annual report was released at NCSEA’s forum, “Growing North Carolina’s Green Energy Economy: Learning, Connecting & Creating Opportunities Together,” which was held at the Charlotte Convention Center on Friday.

Click here to download the full report.

National Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 5-11, and the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources is asking everyone to be careful with fire, especially during the upcoming fall fire season.

Fall wildfire season typically lasts from mid-October until mid-December. During the fall, people do a lot of yard work that includes burning leaves and yard debris. Sometimes, those yard fires escape and start wildfires.

In fact, debris burning is the No. 1 cause of wildfires in the state.

The state Division of Forest Resources urges people to adhere to the following advice to protect property and prevent wildfires:

• Never burn trash, paper, plastics and other man-materials. It is illegal to burn man-made materials in the state because the smoke pollutes the air and can be harmful to breathe.
• Make sure you have a valid permit. You can obtain a burning permit at any Division of Forest Resources office or permitting agent, or online at http://dfr.nc.gov/.
• Check...

Join the Town of Hillsborough on Oct. 24 at Gold Park and other locations as part of NC Big Sweep, North Carolina's component of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. Through Big Sweep, all 100 counties in the state will work towards litter-free watersheds.

Last year, about 80 volunteers – along with Durham-based Mainline Contracting, which constructed Gold Park – picked up about 17,530 pounds of trash on 3 miles of roadways and land along the Eno River during the Big Sweep effort.

Check-in for this year’s event will take place at Gold Park, 415 Dimmocks Mill Road, just east of Nash Street. Volunteers will be assigned an area to clean from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Participants can sign up in advance or on the day of the event. Children must have a parental permission slip, and all must sign a waiver.

To sign up for Hillsborough’s NC Big Sweep and to receive supplies, call 919-245-2588 or e-mail: thackett@co.orange.nc.us.