BURNSIDE, Ky. — A Kentucky woman has set her sights on making Kentucky the cleanest state in America by cleaning up bags of trash off the streets every day.
The woman who is known for this mission is Whitney Lewis. Lewis, coincidentally, was born on Earth Day, and always had a niche for cleaning the Earth.
After years of collecting trash as a hobby, she eventually built up the courage to perform this passion as a mission to help Kentucky become as clean as possible.
Spectrum News 1 reported on the beginning of her journey back in June, when she had collected just over 2,000 bags.
So what are the updates? According to Lewis, she has gathered over 4,,000 bags of trash, which are miles ahead of her 5,000 goal before 2024.
That’s nearly double the amount of trash bags just short three months ago.
“The amount of growth I’ve seen with this movement within the last four to five months is unreal,” Lewis said.
Not only has she made a lot of progress, Lewis has received support from Kentucky and beyond. Hundreds of people have chipped in money to help her mission. Some occasionally will help her gather trash as well.
A GoFundMe was started to help with her mission, called “Help me clean up Kentucky,” which has raised over $9,000. This has led to her to be able to buy her own car and collect trash as a full-time job.
“Every time I have free time, I am picking up trash,” Lewis said. “If I go a day without it, I feel like something is off.”
Lewis has received other donations,not just money. One woman donated a Ford F-150, a donation which humbled her deeply and made it a goal to “make everyone of them proud.”
While gathering trash, she’s noticed she has also positively affected the attitudes of Kentuckians.
“I did have a gentleman at Cedar Creek Lake, I was over there and he brought over a water bottle and he said, ‘I am so sorry, I just threw this right before you walked up.’ And right there, I mean, I literally cried happy tears on the way home that day,” Lewis said.
Her mission has even motivated her two daughters to collect trash, with her three-year-old calling herself “The Trash Lady,” which makes Lewis proud.
Lewis travels around the state. However, one place she has a tendency to go to frequently is Burnside Island State Park because of the high amount of trash there.
When asked about taking this mission outside of the commonwealth, Lewis showed enthusiasm, saying “Absolutely” and that “a difference needs to be made in not only Kentucky, but the whole country.”
Until then, Lewis will continue to clean up the commonwealth, hoping to get 12,000 bags of trash by the end of next year.