Feb 28, 2022 2 min read

For the seventh year, Fern Sibert is continuing her efforts to make Washington County the cleanest county in which to live.

Sibert has organized a series of cleanup days throughout the year to pick up litter along the county’s roadways. She and her volunteers mostly target the two interstate highways that run through the county.

“(I-70 and I-79) is our front yard. That’s the first thing people see when they drive into Washington County,” Sibert said.

Volunteers split into groups and head to different exit ramps. According to Sibert, it takes a dozen people about two hours to cover a half-mile of road.

The next cleanup day will take place March 26. An organizing meeting is planned for 10 a.m. March 5 at Fourth Presbyterian Church, 1000 Jefferson Ave., Washington.

“We need people to let us know what they’re willing to help us with, and where they live,” Sibert said.

She distributes information about the cleanup days on the “Clean Up Our County” Facebook page, which currently has 189 members.

When the cleanup days begin in the spring, Sibert expects to find some oddities among the litter, as she usually does.

This year, Sibert said they found $400 cash strewn across the highway.

“It was $59 in one spot, $60 in another. Even a $100 bill,” she said.

She speculated that much of the litter likely blew out of somebody’s window, or was not properly secured to their vehicle. That’s how they ended up finding wedding pictures, checkbooks and even a bassinet.

On I-79 near the Washington Country Club, golf balls often land in the middle of the road or sometimes make it across the entire highway.

“We have some kids that come out and clean that up because they sell the golf balls,” Sibert said.

Her ultimate goal is to make Washington County the cleanest county by 2025. She believes if there were 1,000 volunteers across the county, that goal would be achievable.

“That will make property values go up,” she said. “It will make people want to come to our county if we have a label like that.”

Cleanup days are also scheduled for April 2, May 21, June 25, Aug. 20 and Oct. 5.