With the sun out and spring around the corner, there’s litter that needs to be cleaned up on our roadways in central Washington. And this summer, local teens ages 14 to 17 have an opportunity to help get this important work done.

The Washington Department of Ecology is hiring up to 60 teenagers throughout central Washington as part of the summer Ecology Youth Corps.

Teens chosen for the program will earn $16.28 an hour.

Hours:
•    Up to 35 hours per week
•    7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
•    Monday through Thursday

Youth Corps teens are assigned to one of six crews in the region:
•    Ellensburg
•    Richland
•    Sunnyside
•    Toppenish
•    Goldendale
•    Yakima

Teens will work in one of the following sessions:
•    July 1 to July 22
•    July 23 to Aug. 8

Please note that Ellensburg and Goldendale crews will work only one session from July 1 to July 31.

In an average year, Ecology litter crews pick up over 1 million pounds of litter and clean over 4,000 miles of roads statewide. Nearly 100,000 pounds of that litter is recycled each year.

Since 1975, the program has hired more than 12,000 Washington teens, offering them meaningful summer jobs, valuable work experience, and the chance to protect Washington’s environment for their own generation and the next.
 
Applicants must be ages 14 to 17 on or before their first day of work. Applications are due by 5 p.m. April 1

For more information:
•    Call Ecology’s Central Regional Office at 509-575-2490
•    Email Rod Hankinson at rodney.hankinson@ecy.wa.gov
•    Email Suzanna Martinez at suzanna.martinez@ecy.wa.gov