LaPlaca has picked up more than 1,000 bags of trash from the county's roads, streams, and parks every year for the past 19 years.
To honor him for his efforts, Rockland County Executive Ed Day named LaPlaca the "Outstanding Environmental Volunteer for 2017" during a special ceremony on Thursday.
In addition to a plaque, a tree was planted in his honor at Kennedy-Dells County Park.
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