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By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

ALABASTER – It’s almost time once gain for local residents to engage in citywide spring cleaning during the city of Alabaster’s 10th annual Clean Sweep.

Clean Sweep is an annual volunteer-based citywide cleanup event that is organized each year by Alabaster City Councilmember Stacy Rakestraw.

“It’s just a great time for (residents) to clean up and clean out and have a fresh start for the spring and the new year,” Rakestraw said.

A roadway cleanup will be held on Saturday, April 1 as part of the event alongside a Shred-it and E-cycle event on April 15 from 8 a.m. to noon.

“We’re having a volunteer litter pickup day,” Rakestraw said. “(People) can volunteer, and they can either pick a street or we can assign one to them for litter pickup. They’ll walk one mile one way (and) pick up litter on one side of the road and then cross the street and come back a mile.”

Rakestraw said trash bags, fluorescent vests and gloves are provided. The police department follows the volunteers during the process to ensure their safety, and the public works department will pick up all the bags of litter on the following Monday.

The city will also be hosting a Shred-it and E-cycle event on Saturday, April 15 from 8 a.m. to noon at 10111 Highway 119.

“People can come from 8 a.m. to noon, and they can get rid of computers, hard drives, monitors, any kind of paperwork or document(s) that they want shredded,” Rakestraw said. “We have volunteers from different community groups, and we have players from the Thompson High School football team that help unload vehicles so that residents don’t have to come out of their cars.”

Alabaster Public Relations Manager Neal Wagner spoke on the importance of the annual cleanup.

“Clean Sweep has been an impactful program in our city over the past decade, and we’re excited to continue it this year,” Public Relations Manager Neal Wagner said. “Councilwoman Rakestraw has done a great job in organizing and growing this event each year. It’s great to see so many people in the community come together to help keep Alabaster beautiful and clean.”

Volunteer litter groups can register for a time slot and roadway within the city for Saturday, April 1 by emailing Rakestraw at Rakestraw@cityofalabaster.com The deadline to register is Friday, March 24.

The Shred-It and E-cycle event is for Alabaster residents only and offers free paper shredding with a limit of five file boxes of paper per household. There is a $10 disposal fee per CRT computer monitor, a $10 shredding fee per hard drive and a $25 disposal fee per flat screen tv. No tube televisions are accepted.

A complete list of items that are accepted for disposal can be found online at Alabasterconnection.net/ecycle.