The Great American Cleanup campaign, conducted here on Saturday, has been pronounced a Great Picayune success, and Daryl Smith, who headed up the giant push to cleanup Picayune streets, said planning will get underway in the next few months for next year’s undertaking.

Over hundreds of bags of trash were filled, and over a hundred groups, individuals and businesses participated in the event on Saturday.

The promotion has slumped in year’s past, but city officials hope that this year’s successful operation will generate more enthusiasm for building the effort into what it ought to be each year, and that is, a great effort in cleaning up the city.

Smith is the supervisor of the city’s grounds and beautification department.

No only individuals, but church groups and inmates forming two trash crews from the county prison at Millard, helped in cleaning up the city on Saturday, and their efforts resulted in generating hundreds of bags of trash removed from city and neighborhood streets.

Perhaps the most successful effort in the drive was mounted by the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, 501 Weems Street, helped by the Galilee Baptist Church and the Community of Christians Helping Youth, headed by Roy Acker.

The group of hard-working youth formed a team that helped cleanup an entire section of southwest Picayune and generated picking up of over 60 bags of garbage, said Smith.

Said Juanita Terrell, who coordinated the church groups’ efforts, “We had a great group of enthusiastic young people, and after the work, we brought them back here (to Pleasant Valley church) and fed them breakfast. It was a wonderful experience for our young people.”

She added, “They worked real hard and were able to see the results of their efforts, helping to make their city a more beautiful place.”

City Councilman Larry Breland, who was on-hand, helping too, and congratulated Terrell and her helpers on putting forth a great effort.

“Some people don’t take this seriously enough, that is, cleaning up our city, but making a great impression on folks who come here is very important, and, of course, for the folks who live here it is very important to try and make this effort and clean up our city,” said Breland.

“I want to commend all those who have participated in this effort today, and urge more citizens to be thinking about helping the next time we hold this effort,” added Breland.

Smith also thanked the sheriff’s department for bringing down two trustee groups, who, he said, filled up two trailers during their collection efforts.

The effort kicked off at 9 a.m. on the steps of City Hall on Beech Street. Over 20 individuals showed up there to collect garbage bags and then fanned out into their communities to pick up trash, said Smith.

Smith then traveled around keeping individuals and groups supplied with enough bags.

The cleanup program was held in conjunction with the Great American Cleanup and with Keep Mississippi Beautiful, promotions.

Also Waste Management participated in the program and helped sponsor it.

Waste Management owns and runs Central Landfill at Millard.

Smith said that he and others working on the project will try and get more businesses involved in the cleanup project next year.

“It is something that we all need to support and help as much as we can. Taking pride in keeping our city and neighborhoods clean means that we care about our city and the neighborhoods in which we live,” added Smith.

“I want to thank everyone who helped this year. It made a difference. The streets where we cleaned up look real nice. And we look forward to working with more individuals, groups and businesses in the cleanup effort next year,” he added.