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Contact: Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller
(985) 748-3211
AMITE—Tangipahoa Parish has been recognized as a leader in environmental issues for its work in litter abatement and its proactive education and enforcement measures.
Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller said Tangipahoa Parish Government was recognized Thursday as one of the state’s 2022 Environmental Leadership Program award winners.
“Tangipahoa Parish has been recognized with the ELP Achievement Award, saluting our Litter Gitter initiative on parish waterways and the many anti-litter programs we have established,” Miller said.
Presented by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, the ELP awards highlight the efforts of schools, industry, and communities to take ownership of their environment.
“ELP projects go a long way toward improving the environment, setting a good example, and raising awareness of how to protect the environment,” DEQ Secretary Dr. Chuck Carr Brown said in a statement at the annual awards presentation.
Miller said Tangipahoa’s recognition is based on the parish’s multi-faceted attack on litter.
“Our goal is to eliminate the litter issue that challenges our parish by changing attitudes through education, beautification, and strict enforcement,” Miller said.
One of the major tools the parish utilizes in its attack on litter in local waterways is the Osprey Initiative’s “Litter Gitter,” an aluminum floating device that uses booms to trap litter in area rivers and creeks. Once snared in the Litter Gitter’s traps, the garbage and debris can be collected and safely removed from waterways. It also stops waste materials from floating farther downstream and impacting other waterways.
The parish currently has three of these devices employed on local waterways. Thanks to a grant, officials are now in the process of acquiring a fourth “Litter Gitter” which will be put into service.
Tangipahoa Parish Government was recognized among three Achievement Award winners from across Louisiana. DEQ also recognized an Outstanding Achievement Award winner and five Recognition Award winners at the ELP Awards, which were held in Baton Rouge earlier this month.
RECOGNIZED AS A LEADER IN LOUISIANA—Tangipahoa Parish officials accept the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s 2022 Environmental Leadership Program Achievement Award. Tangipahoa Parish was recognized for its multi-faceted attack on litter, including its deployment of the Osprey Initiative’s “Litter Gitter” floating trap to collect garbage and debris on local waterways.
