Victoria Hoffman says Beaufort County aims to collect 10,000 pounds of litter at 2026 Earth Day cleanup

Victoria Hoffman, a Beaufort County staff member, told a brief on-camera interview that the county’s 2026 Earth Day litter-cleanup is coordinated through the public works, solid waste and recycling, and stormwater departments and is intended to raise awareness about litter’s effects on waste systems and waterways.

Asked whether the county would exceed last year’s haul of 9,000 pounds of litter, Hoffman said partners had already reported about 3,000 pounds by Wednesday and that she expected the countywide mass event to "shoot past that original goal of 9,000 and hopefully get to 10,000 this year." The figure for last year was presented by the reporter and repeated by Hoffman as an account of prior collections.

Hoffman described two kinds of partners: organizations staffing educational booths to inform residents about local environmental programs, and groups — including municipal partners and Adopt-a-Highway teams — who collect litter along roadways. She credited municipal employees, volunteer groups and local partners with helping expand the event from a small internal public-works activity into a countywide effort over the last five years.

On broader outreach and resident participation, Hoffman said, "Earth Day is every day," urging recycling, reuse and composting. She outlined a new composting initiative: residents can register online, take a short quiz to receive a code, and then drop off food waste at county convenience centers. Hoffman also said the county may experiment with scheduling — moving the event to an evening or weekend — to increase attendance.

The interview closed with thanks to county employees and partners; the reporter signaled viewers should expect further coverage of the event.