Lake County creates litter-reporting app as part of “Keep Lake Beautiful” initiative

TAVARES – Lake County’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Division, in conjunction with Keep Lake Beautiful, a volunteer organization, has created the Litter Reporter app allowing citizens to report and pinpoint areas of litter on a map for easy monitoring. This simple mobile application, within the county’s Crowdsource Reporter, can be found online at http://gis.lakecountyfl.gov/crowdsource/.

The Litter Reporter is viewable on mobile devices and desktop computers, and lets users submit data about a particular area, as well as attach corresponding photos. If a site has already been identified, other citizens can “like” it to raise its priority. Keep Lake Beautiful will monitor submissions and propose clean-up efforts and community events as needed. As sites are cleaned up, they are removed from the map so citizens only see current areas of concern.

“The long-term goal of Keep Lake Beautiful is reinforce the mindset that residents can keep their community clean by taking litter with them and disposing of it in proper receptacles,” said Lake County Commissioner Leslie Campione, who spearheaded the Keep Lake Beautiful initiative. “However, when residents do see litter along our roads, this app will let them easily report it to us so that we may quickly take action. Giving reporting capabilities directly to the citizens adds to a sense of ownership and pride in the community.”

The mission of Keep Lake Beautiful is “To beautify Lake County by engaging our community.” In May, Lake County became an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading nonprofit agency that focuses on building and maintaining vibrant communities. In September, around 130 volunteers collected nearly six tons of litter and debris during Lake County’s inaugural Keep Lake Beautiful cleanup, hosted simultaneously in Groveland, Leesburg and Sorrento.

For more information about Keep Lake Beautiful or to become a volunteer, call 352-343-9639 or visit the Keep Lake Beautiful website: