FAQ KLCB | Keep Lincoln County Beautiful

Frequently Asked Questions

This page is dedicated to helping clarify some questions we receive frequently. If your question is not answered below, you may contact us.

01 How do I volunteer and what can I expect when I volunteer?

Volunteering is fun and free to do. Keep Lincoln County Beautiful has a variety of volunteer opportunities for volunteers of all ages. Our volunteer opportunities range from on-the-boat lake cleanups to educational booths at local events. We are happy to work with volunteers from all over the county. If you have any questions about volunteering, please contact us. We are happy to help figure out a volunteer opportunity for you.

If you are interested in managing your own cleanup in your area, we will be glad to assist. Please contact us for resources, information, and materials needed to conduct your own cleanup in your area. We are glad to help however we can, and we appreciate your motivation.

To find events and other volunteer opportunities, please follow us on Instagram, like us on Facebook, or simply RSVP to one of our events.

02 Are my donations tax-deductible?

Keep Lincoln County Beautiful is a Non-Profit Organization focusing on charitable actions in our community. Keep Lincoln County Beautiful is an IRS Tax Exempted 501(c)(3). All donations to Keep Lincoln County Beautiful are utilized by Keep Lincoln County Beautiful to be distributed back into the community through our mission and goals. We are readily available to provide donation receipts to donors for their records. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this, or need any information from Keep Lincoln County Beautiful, please contact us.

If you are interested in making an item contribution (tools, plants, bins, safety vests, etc.), you can find a link to our Amazon Wishlist at the top of our page OR you may contact us and will arrange a meeting to collect any items. If you are looking to make a financial contribution, you can do so through our donation button at the top of our page, mail them, or contact us for other donation opportunities.

03 What do I need to do to partner with Keep Lincoln County Beautiful?

Keep Lincoln County Beautiful strives to help make our community a more beautiful place, and we are more than excited to partner with any individual or organization who shares our common goals. If you or your organization think you may be interested in working with us on projects, events, and anything else, please contact us. We are ecstatic to hear from those who share our passion and want to get involved in their community. We will do what we can to assist, and to enhance and beautify our community together.

04 What does it mean to be an affiliate, and what issues does Keep Lincoln County Beautiful focus on?

Keep Lincoln County Beautiful (KLCB) is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful (KAB). Keep America Beautiful has over 600 affiliates across the nation and Keep Lincoln County Beautiful is proud to be part of their network. Being a part of Keep America Beautiful gives us access to grants, research, knowledge, resources, and other beneficial opportunities. Keep America Beautiful also helps keep track and manage data while providing guidance whenever needed. Learn more about Keep America Beautiful.

KLCB strives to help make our community a more beautiful place to live while improving the quality of life for all living beings within our environment. Our mission statement can be summarized to Inspire, Empower, Educate, and Improve through Ending Litter, Increasing Recycling, and Beautifying our Community. KLCB works in various ways and has many goals to meet to ensure the success of our mission.

05 How does Keep Lincoln County Beautiful measure Community Impact?

Keep Lincoln County Beautiful utilizes measurement standards from Keep America Beautiful that have been studied and researched. We can then put numeric values to our data and we can quantify the impact our mission has on our local community. We do this by tracking how many trees, plants, and flowers we plant, tracking how much litter is collected, tracking how much material we have recycled, etc. This helps us measure our community impact. If you are interested in seeing any of this data, please contact us.

06 How do I report litter in my community?

There are a few different methods of reporting litter in the Lincoln County Community. Please see the following information below to decide which method of reporting will work for your situation:

Swat-A-Litterbug: The Swat-A-Litterbug Program is an educational effort administered by the North Carolina Department of Transportation Office of Beautification Programs. If you see someone littering or trash blowing from an open bed truck, here’s your chance to report them and teach them the littering laws of our state. Be sure to get the NC license plate number, type of littering offense, date, time and location. To Swat-A-Litterbug please click here.

Lincoln County Sheriff's Office: A littering offense can be reported to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office but should be done so immediately as the incident occurs. Please DO NOT contact the emergency number for the Sheriff's Office. You can contact their non-emergency number to report litter at 704.732.9050. It is also helpful if you are able to capture video evidence of this offense to assist the Sheriff's Office in their investigation, if at all possible.

Planning and Inspections Enforcement Officer: Illegal dumping or other related issues of this manner that are not on an NC DOT maintained road would need to be reported to the Planning and Inspections Enforcement Officers. These officers follow up to ensure proper measures of disposal are being taken by businesses, landowners, etc. if there is a concern for this issue, a complaint form to file can be found here or the contact information for the Lincoln County Code Enforcement Officers is below:

704.736.8729

David Workman - Supervisor, dworkman@lincolncounty.org

Jarret Ross, jross@lincolncounty.org

Trey Parker, taparker@lincolncounty.org

The NC DOT Lincoln County Office: Illegal dumping and other related issues on NC DOT maintained roads (such as deceased animal carcasses) can be reported to the local NC DOT office to be removed. The local NC DOT website for Lincoln County can be found here. You may also contact:

704.666.6340

Brad Matthews, bsmatthews@ncdot.gov

Michael Wilson, mwilson@ncdot.gov

07 Who do I go to if I want to Adopt-A-Highway?

Interested in adopting a highway? Utilize the NC DOT's Adopt-A-Highway program. Beautify your community and help it thrive. Information about the NC DOT's Adopt-A-Highway can be found here. Or speak with the Lincoln County Adopt-A-Highway Coordinator, Dana Morton, 704.748.2400.

08 How do I reduce, reuse, and recycle in Lincoln County?

Lincoln County Solid Waste Recycling- Lincoln County Solid Waste utilizes convenience sites throughout the community for residents. Residents can use the recycling opportunities at these sites but will need a residential dumping sticker to access their local convenience site. For information on how to recycle at Lincoln County Convenience Sites please click here.

City of Lincolnton Recycling Program- The City of Lincolnton utilizes a curbside collection program for city residents. If you reside within the City of Lincolnton and you are interested in partaking in the city's recycling program please click here.

Donating in Lincoln County- There are many opportunities to donate items for reuse in Lincoln County to minimize and reduce waste thrown into the landfill. Here is a list of places in Lincoln County that accept donations for many items. Lincoln County Solid Waste also offers some information on other donation opportunities.

Reduce your Use- There are many things that can be done at home to reduce your waste. Look for tips below in question 9.

09 How can I "Keep it Beautiful" at home, work, school, and all over?

Reduce your Use- Look for ways to reduce the amount of waste you create. This simply requires us to pay a little bit more attention to the waste we make. For tips on reducing waste in your life, click here.

Recycle More and Right- Recycle when you can. If the location you are at does not have a recycling bin then take your recyclables home to properly recycle them. If you do not recycle at home there are methods and guidelines that can help you start doing so listed under question 8. Recycling is an important part of our waste system. It helps us keep our world and home clean and green. Please recycle and recycle properly. If you have questions about recycling in your area contact the Lincoln County Recycling Coordinator, Jenna Harmon at 704.732.9030, Extension 4.

Garden/Plant More- Planting flowers, plants, and trees can be fun, it can beautify your property, and it can certainly beautify your community. If you need advice on how to plant or what to plant you can contact the local NC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners at 704.736.8461.

End Litter- There are many ways to partake in the mission of ending litter. Individuals can choose to pick up litter in their area or get involved with a litter pickup event. Individuals may also spread awareness and education about littering and why it is important to prevent it. Contact KLCB for educational materials to handout.

10 I need help planting a tree- what can I do?

You're looking to plant a tree- GREAT! There are some steps you can take to set yourself up for success:

Call before you Dig- Several days before planting, call the national 811 hotline to have underground utilities located.

Handle with Care- Always lift the tree up by the root ball. Keep roots moist until planting.

Dig a Proper Hole- Dig 2 to 5 times wider than the diameter of the root ball with sloping sides to allow for proper root growth.

Plant Depth- The trunk flare should sit slightly above ground level and the top-most roots should be buried 1 to 2 inches.

Filling the Hole- Backfill with native soil (unless it is clay) then tamp the soil gently to fill the large air spaces.

Mulch- Allow 1 to 2 inch clearance between the trunk and the mulch. The mulch should be 2 to 3 inches deep.

For more information and tree planting tips please visit ArborDay.org