He spent 2023 picking up trash. Now, this 70-year-old wants to inspire you to do the same
Commuters making their way up and down Route 130 in Cinnaminson may recognize a familiar face: 70-year-old Jim Alturo, decked out in his neon vest with trash picker in hand, even on the most blustery of winter days.
In August of 2022, Alturo started picking up trash around his development, figuring he'd be helping the neighborhood and also his own health by getting outside each day.
As he kept walking, he realized that more and more trash was replenishing itself. Finally, Alturo made the connection that it was coming from the surrounding highways. Soon, his on-foot radius increased.
Then he realized there was an epidemic of cigarette butts. Certainly he couldn't just leave them.
One penny per piece
As if making his corner of the world a little bit cleaner wasn't enough, Alturo decided to set a goal for himself: One cent for every cigarette butt he picked up would be donated to the American Lung Association at the end of the year.
By February he'd set a goal for 15,000 cigarette butts in 2023. He reached it in the first few days of October.
As Alturo's walks got longer, his goals got bigger, spending as much as 2 to 3 hours outside and quickly surpassing 18,000, then 20,000, then 22,000 cigarette butts, each kept track of with a click of a silver, handheld counter.
He made one final goal toward the end of the year: 23,000.
But, in his own words, it was like divine intervention; "They were falling from the sky."
By the end of the year, Alturo had picked up 24,185 cigarette butts and countless pieces of trash, sometimes having to return home mid-walk to retrieve another bag.
A local celebrity
Alturo has quickly become a well-known face in his senior living community and beyond its borders, where cars will honk on their way down 130, encouraging him to continue his clean-up crusade.
"People on the highway give me the thumbs up ... people I don't even know," Alturo said earnestly.
"You're a star, Jim!" one neighbor yelled, passing Alturo during his interview.
"He's definitely into helping people," his wife, Shirley Alturo said. "He's very giving."
Everyone knows Alturo, and they're acquainted with his mission. One of his neighbors made him an Eagles scarf to wear on his walks in the colder months, and when his development's clubhouse gave him a gift to thank him for his work, you can bet that Alturo added it into his donation total.
"The real goal was to make the community clean, and all I want is people to appreciate it," he said.
His wife shared that he'd even asked for more fleece layers for Christmas in preparation for the colder months.
"He doesn't like it when the weather's not nice and he has to stay in," Shirley Alturo said.
What's the data say?: COVID, flu, RSV spikes rampant in the region
Inspiring others to give back
What Jim Alturo really wants people to know about his efforts thus far is that he doesn't need the praise. Rather, he just hopes that others will see how easy it is to clean up the world around them. And maybe they'll join in.
"My whole career, my whole life I've been about trying to help others," the retiree said. He'd spent over 30 years working with United Way, a network of nonprofit fundraising affiliates.
"I feel so good about knowing that every little thing I pick up is one less piece of trash around," he said.
Not only does he plan on making his promised donation to the American Lung Association, but he also wants to contact his township leaders to organize more cleanups in the community, create a TikTok challenge and inspire others to do the same in their neighborhoods.
Oh, and Alturo's new goal for 2024? He knows its ambitious, but he's hoping to pick up between 35,000 and 50,000 cigarette butts.
Kaitlyn McCormick writes about trending issues and community news across South Jersey for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times. If you have a story she should tell, email her at kmccormick@gannett.com. And subscribe to stay up to date on the news you need.
More: The lengths this Camden family went to to honor a late loved one
More: Why Reunion Hall might feel familiar when it opens in Haddon Township
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: 70-year-old man is cleaning up Cinnaminson. Now he's looking for help
