Litter Clean up – Keeping our Communities Clean

Are you planning a litter clean up program for your neighborhood?  Most cities across the nation have programs to help keep our roads and highways clean and litter-free, but what about in and around your community?  Cleaning up litter left behind or thrown from vehicles is a worthy project to get involved with.  Because litter can pile up on roadways, rural areas, or even the streets in local neighborhoods, planning a community clean up on a monthly or quarterly basis is a great idea!  Many people form groups for this exact purpose. An easy way to help this type of project go smoothly is to contact your local dumpster company and order a dumpster bin for your clean up project. 

Why Trash Clean up Projects Are Beneficial for Your Community

Trash clean up projects are a labor of love.  No one likes to pick up trash left behind by others, but we all love the communities we live in.  Keeping our streets, highways, and roads clean are a bigger impact than just clean roadways.  Below are the top reasons to help keep trash cleaned up in your community:

• Helps to keep your neighborhood clean – No one wants to see trash on the ground, or waterways in the community they live in.
• Helps protect children – Most little kids love putting things in their mouths.  Little kids are more likely to pick up trash or litter off the ground out of curiosity.  Keeping trash picked up helps to make sure hazardous trash doesn’t end up in the mouths of babes.
• Helps to protect wildlife – litter that is left behind can cause harm to wildlife if ingested or used for nesting purposes.
• Helps to Save Money – Keeping trash cleaned up can save your community money that may be spent on litter pick-up programs.  That money can be used for other programs if everyone does their part in keeping trash picked up.

Planning a neighborhood clean up is one of the easiest things that you can do, and it is great for your community!   

How do I find a Litter Clean up Program in My Area?

We all see, from time to time, people drive by and throw trash out their car window or walking down the street and dropping their litter on the ground.  We all know the difference between right and wrong, and putting your garbage in a trash can or dumpster is just the right thing to do.   By educating the public on the benefits of keeping litter off of the ground, in every community, we can minimize the impact that waste material can have not only in our communities but in the water we drink.

You might be wondering what you can do to help.  Most major cities and even rural communities have litter clean up programs. These litter programs offer people a way to help keep their cities clean.  Most of the programs encourage people of all ages to participate and are often part of a more national effort, designed to keep the entire nation litter-free. We can all do our part by not throwing trash on the ground.  And, when you see litter, pick it up and place it in the nearest trash bin or dumpster.  For trash that can be recycled, consider bringing it to a recycling center.  

If you are interested in helping clean up litter but are not quite sure about organizing your event, consider contacting Bridging The Gap or the Missouri Department of Transportation to sign up as a volunteer.  If you want to organize your event, check out the information below.

How to Organize a Community Litter Clean up Event

Organizing a community litter clean up event doesn’t have to be hard, but it does require planning.  The success of the event all hinges on how well your plan is put together.  The first step is to create a committee to plan your event.  

During the first committee meeting, the group should choose which roles each person will be responsible for in planning the event.  We suggest choosing a project leader first.  Once the project leader is chosen, set a date and time, a couple of months out, for the clean up event.  

• Choose A Project Leader:  The project leader will be the point person for the overall coordination of the event and will assign, or ask for volunteers from committee members, roles needed for the event.
• Publicity: This person will be responsible for getting the word out about the event.  This might include social media posts, emails to the neighborhood, phone calls to everyone in the neighborhood, print materials, or any other type of notifications chosen by the committee.  Be diligent in making sure everyone is aware of the event as far in advance as possible and follow up on a regular cadence to keep the event top of mind for everyone.

• Volunteers:  This individual will be responsible for getting people to sign up to be volunteers to help with the clean up.  If the neighborhood you live in has a community website, consider creating a signup form on the website with each person’s name and phone number.  When the publicity person sends out social media posts or flyers, the URL for the website form can be included in the notifications.  If your community does not have a website, consider creating a Google form and include the URL for the Google form on the notifications for signups.  This will help you keep track of how many volunteers have signed up and how many more you need to have a successful event.   
• Order a Dumpster for Trash Collected: Assign someone on the committee the task of ordering a trash dumpster to put all the trash that has been collected for removal.
• Party & Refreshments: Depending on how elaborate you want your event, consider having an after clean up party with refreshments.  This can be as simple or elaborate as you would like.  This individual will be responsible for shopping for refreshments and setting up the after-party.  Consider talking to local businesses and asking them for donations for your event.
• Supplies: Assign someone to gather or shop for supplies needed for the event such as trash bags and disposable gloves.  If you are working on a budget, consider asking local businesses to donate supplies for your cause. 

• Field Support and Coordination:  The individual or individuals responsible for field support will coordinate with all of the volunteers to assign them areas to clean up and to hand out supplies.  Providing a map of the area with the assignment designations is a great way to stay organized.  Once assignments are completed be sure to have volunteers report back to field support.  It is also a good idea to have a safety sheet for volunteers letting them know of any areas to stay clear of or things to watch out for. 
• Follow-up: After the event is over, the person or persons responsible for follow-up can write thank you notes to each of the volunteers and businesses that helped with the clean up effort.
• Set a date for the next clean up! 

Are you Ready to Plan Your Litter Clean up Event?

Keeping our communities clean from litter helps to beautify our neighborhoods and helps make sure that trash doesn’t end up in places it does not belong.  Now that you know what it takes to plan your community litter clean up, follow our tips to put together your event!  KC Dumpster Company is passionate about keeping our communities clean!  For information on scheduling a dumpster for your next clean up, get in touch with us!  We hope you enjoyed this article and we look forward to serving you in the future.