PalmettoPride Awards over $600,000 in Grant Funding to Local Government, Enforcement Agencies, and Keep South Carolina Beautiful Affiliate Network

Columbia, SC (February 9, 2023) – Last week, PalmettoPride announced recipients for three of its competitive grant programs. Annually, PalmettoPride accepts applications for the Litter Crew Grant, the Litter Enforcement Grant, and the Keep South Carolina Beautiful Grant programs.

“Our grant programs provide resources that directly impact our communities at the local level,” said Sarah Lyles, Executive Director of PalmettoPride. “It is exciting to see the growth of litter prevention programs across the state, particularly in our rural counties.”

PalmettoPride awarded $333,570 for litter removal through the Litter Crew Grant. The Litter Enforcement Grant awarded $77,724 to law enforcement agencies across the state to assist in the enforcement of state and local litter laws. The Keep SC Beautiful Grant provided $211,646 to support the efforts of 23 Keep South Carolina Beautiful affiliates.

The Georgetown County Environmental Services Division (GCESD) is one of the recipients set to benefit from the 2023 grant funding.  GCESD created a litter crew in 2021 dedicated to roadside clean-ups and increasing public awareness around litter in Georgetown County. With funding from the 2022 PalmettoPride Litter Crew Grant, GCESD was able to staff its litter crew in March of 2022. Since then, the litter crew removed over 62,000 pounds of litter from 810 miles of roadway throughout Georgetown County.

Maureen Mulligan, Environmentalist and Training Coordinator at GCESD, stated, “It is my hope that through our continued efforts at litter removal, combined with increasing our education and outreach, we can continue to see a significant improvement in litter conditions on our roadsides. The PalmettoPride Litter Crew Grant plays a significant part in allowing us to achieve our litter reduction goals.”

GCESD utilized grant funding to assist with 17 community clean ups with the help of over 300 volunteers. The role of volunteers in litter prevention cannot be overstated in PalmettoPride’s mission. While litter prevention is best, routine pickup is necessary to reduce litter on roadways and to foster pride in communities. Through a combination of routine maintenance and volunteer events, communities stride towards a litter-free South Carolina.

For more information on PalmettoPride, contact info@palmettopride.org.

Litter Crew Grant

County Organization Award
Beaufort Beaufort County Solid Waste and Recycling  $25,000
Berkeley City of Goose Creek  $25,000
Greenville City of Greenville – Dept. of Public Works Solid Waste Division  $25,000
York City of Rock Hill/Rock Hill Clean and Green  $25,000
Spartanburg City of Spartanburg  $25,000
Dorchester Dorchester County Public Works/Solid Waste  $25,000
Fairfield Fairfield County Public Works  $25,000
Georgetown Georgetown County Environmental Services  $25,000
Lancaster Greater Indian Land Chamber of Commerce/Lancaster County Stormwater  $25,000
Greenwood Greenwood County  $25,000
Spartanburg Keep OneSpartanburg Beautiful  $25,000
Allendale SouthernCarolina Alliance  $25,000
Chesterfield Town of Cheraw  $12,024
Williamsburg Town of Kingstree  $9,046
Chesterfield Town of Patrick  $12,500

Litter Enforcement Grant

County Organization  Award 
Aiken Aiken County Code Enforcement  $6,500
Beaufort Beaufort County Solid Waste and Recycling  $6,500
Greenville City of Greenville, Department of Public Works, Solid Waste Division  $6,500
York City of Rock Hill  $4,500
Sumter City of Sumter  $6,500
Lexington County of Lexington  $6,500
Orangeburg County of Orangeburg  $3,963
Dorchester Dorchester County Public Works / Solid Waste  $2,500
Oconee Oconee County  $3,250
Beaufort Port Royal Police Department  $1,500
Charleston South Carolina Department of Natural Resources   $6,500
Oconee South Carolina Department of Natural Resources – Unit 1A  $6,430
Spartanburg Spartanburg County Environmental Enforcement  $5,739
Lexington Town of South Congaree Police Department  $6,200
Dorchester Town of Summerville  $4,142

Keep South Carolina Beautiful Affiliate Support Grant

County Organization  Award 
Sumter Clemson Extension (Keep Sumter Beautiful)  $9,936
Aiken Keep Aiken County Beautiful  $10,000
Beaufort Keep Beaufort County Beautiful  $10,000
Berkeley Keep Berkeley Beautiful  $10,000
Charleston Keep Charleston Beautiful  $10,000
Colleton Keep Colleton Beautiful  $6,118
Horry Keep Conway Beautiful  $8,066
Greenville Keep Greenville County Beautiful  $8,900
Greenwood Keep Greenwood County Beautiful  $9,000
Hampton Keep Hampton County Beautiful  $9,225
Jasper Keep Jasper County Beautiful  $10,000
Laurens Keep Laurens County Beautiful  $10,000
Newberry Keep Newberry County Beautiful  $8,166
Charleston Keep North Charleston Beautiful  $10,000
Oconee Keep Oconee Beautiful Association  $10,000
Spartanburg Keep OneSpartanburg Beautiful  $8,800
Orangeburg Keep Orangeburg County Beautiful  $9,825
Richland Keep the Midlands Beautiful  $8,205
Lexington Keep the Midlands Beautiful  $8,205
Charleston Keep Wadmalaw Beautiful  $7,200
Colleton Keep Walterboro Beautiful  $10,000
Williamsburg Keep Williamsburg Beautiful  $10,000
York Rock Hill Clean & Green  $10,000
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PalmettoPride is working towards a litter-free South Carolina. Created as a legislative initiative to fight litter and help beautify South Carolina by engaging citizens to take action in their communities through education, enforcement, awareness, and pickup.

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