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Earth Day Celebrations in Wheeling Come With a Warm Hug From Mother Nature

By ERIC AYRES 5 min read

WHEELING -- Residents of all ages in the greater Wheeling area were talking trash and thinking green this week, as events and celebrations surrounding Earth Day 2022 have gotten everyone in the mood to roll up their sleeves and give Mother Nature a helping hand.

Near perfect spring weather greeted volunteers who gathered at West Virginia Northern Community College on Friday, when a morning litter cleanup event in the downtown area was followed by an Earth Day Block Party on the campus of West Virginia Northern Community College.

"This is the first big Earth Day event I’ve seen downtown like this," said Hannah Hendrick of Grow Ohio Valley, who was among the volunteers who hit the streets with trash bags and trash grabbers. "We’re trying to get as much trash picked up as we can, and it really turned out to be a great day for it."

Sunshine, clear skies and warm temperatures were a welcome addition to the spring clean-up event, which resulted in dozens of bags of litter removed from the downtown sidewalks and green spaces.

Beatification and environmental education were common themes among the many displays on hand during the Earth Day Block Party, sponsored by WVNCC, Grow OV and the Ohio County Solid Waste Authority, among many other supporting agencies and organizations.

Displays included everything from a plant and seed swap to educational models of municipal water systems, a live axolotl nursery, a butterfly life cycle display and more, along with games and live music.

Organizations such as Ohio Valley Street Moms and Volunteer Wheeling also participated in the downtown cleanup, and other cleanup events and green activities took place around town and beyond, including on other local college campuses.

Students from Wheeling University came out Friday morning to participate in beautification efforts around campus. West Liberty University students took part in everything from shoe and book collections to recycled crafting activities, clothing swaps and sales of plants grown in the campus greenhouse by the Biology Club.

Recycling was also a big Earth Day cause that many people in the Wheeling area championed to be a year-round effort. In fact, city leaders reminded the public that it’s residential recycling program has been ongoing for more than 25 years now. All of Wheeling’s neighborhoods are served by the program, which has scheduled recycling pickups alternating once every two weeks.

"To recycle, simply put recyclable materials in the recycle bin and place the bin on the front curb on trash day every other week according to the schedule," said Russell Jebbia, director of the Public Works Department for the city of Wheeling.

Jebbia reminded city residents that recyclable items - such as food cans, pop and beer cans, newspapers, magazines, paper and corrugated cardboard - can all be placed curbside, but there are a few guidelines that must be followed to properly participate in the program.

"Cardboard must be clean and dry," he said. "It should be broken down so it is flat and fits into the recycling bin - no larger than 12 inches by 18 inches."

Food cans should be clean with the label removed, and pizza boxes, dirty food containers and other items contaminated with food messes cannot be accepted, Jebbia noted.

And following through with the sustainable Earth Day themes, the city is eyeing some upcoming neighborhood cleanups, as well.

A Wheeling Island Spring Cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, April 30, followed by Fulton and North Wheeling Spring Cleanups on Saturday, May 7. Both events will take place from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. During last week’s Wheeling City Council meeting, a young guest speaker from Wheeling Island came and addressed a full house of people from the chair of Ward 2 Councilman Ben Seidler, who was absent from the meeting because of illness.

"I will be helping on April 30 with the Wheeling Island Spring Cleanup," 9-year-old Taylor Gillispie proclaimed in a prepared statement. "We want to help our water system and supply to stay clean, and we can do something to help keep some of the 17 billion pounds of plastic out of the ocean. It is also important to keep litter off the ground, so our animals don’t lick it or eat it and get sick or possibly die."

Taylor encouraged other children to help, and proposed that the collective of youth who participate in her neighborhood event be known as "ICK -- Island Cleanup Kids."

Mayor Glenn Elliott thanked Taylor for her inspiring presentation.

"If you want to replace Councilman Seidler for a couple more of our meetings, I’d have no objection to that," the mayor joked.

Other area cleanups are also taking place in neighborhoods throughout the community. Upcoming Spring Cleanup events sponsored by the Ohio County Solid Waste Authority include: Saturday, April 23, at the Valley Grove Community Center and Triadelphia Town Building; Tuesday, April 26, at the Old Wheeling Dog Pound, Peninsula Street and Pleasanton Playground;

Saturday, April 30, at the Clearview Community Center and West Liberty Christian Church; May 3 at the Patterson Ballfield Parking Lot; May 7 at the Stone Church Volunteer Fire Department; and May 10 at the Wheeling Island Marina and at Garden Park in Warwood.

For more information on the cleanups, contact the Ohio County Solid Waste Authority.

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