ORANGE — It’s that time of year again! The 21st Annual Community Trash-Off is scheduled for 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 13, 2016, at the City of Orange Boat Ramp, located on Simmons Drive in Orange, Texas. This year’s Community Trash-Off is presented by INVISTA and hosted by Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center in collaboration with the City of Orange.

Orange County residents are encouraged to take pride in the community and help clean up trash from area neighborhoods and waterways. As Orange prepares for national recognition associated with the 2016 Redfish Tournament on the Sabine River, scheduled for April 2016, Trash-Off provides an opportunity for residents to showcase their pride in Orange by working together to better the community.

Participating teams and individuals will have the opportunity to win prizes and enjoy a free pizza lunch after the event. Teams are limited to 3-5 members. To register a team, visit shangrilagardens.org to download registration and waiver forms. For more information, contact Gabrielle Flud at gflud@shangrilagardens.org or at 409.670.0803.

Shangri La Education Coordinator, Noelle Jordan shared her excitement for the event stating, “Community Trash-Off is a perfect mix of fun, hard work, and civic responsibility. We have some volunteers who come out every year to help out – I don’t know what we would do without them! And every year there are people who attend for the first time. We hope to make them life-long volunteers…hopefully the free pizza lunch and door prizes will help with that.

This year, we already have promised donations from almost all of our local pizza eateries and all of the local donut shops. Next time you stop in, let them know you appreciate their support of this event.”

Additionally, Shangri La Director, Rick Lewandowski encourages community-wide participation and commented, “Each year the Community Trash-Off showcases the resolve of those in our community to make Southeast Texas a better place to live. We truly appreciate every single person who makes an effort to be a part of this fun and productive day. We are especially grateful to INVISTA – this year’s Presenting Sponsor, Mayor Jimmy Sims and the City of Orange, and all of those who donate to support this important effort.”