Ever thought about organizing a community cleanup project? Maybe you’re tired of seeing litter along your walking trail or you live near an empty lot used for illegal dumping. Perhaps you're looking for a service opportunity for you and your kids and want to connect with others in your neighborhood. Then a community cleanup day may be just right for you!
Cleaning up communities comes in many forms. When our homeschool co-op was offered the chance to meet at a local church for free, we jumped at the chance. As our school year came to a close, we wanted to thank the church for the use of the space. After talking with the staff, we decided to do a cleanup of the property.
Our students spent an afternoon raking up the grass, power washing an outside deck, washing all the windows, and planting flowers in the border beds around the building. This not only gave us a way to sincerely thank the church for letting us meet there, it let our students give back to the community.
On a macro scale, you're doing your part to save the planet. Read further to learn how to organize a community clean犀利士
up. Here are some basics to start the job:
A community trash cleanup can be picking up junk along streets or waterways, cleaning up a vacant lot, renovating a local playground, raking up leaves in alleyways, or planting flowers in common areas. Often, community efforts focus on parks, beach cleanups, lakes and streams, and along highways.
Cleanups are a great way to increase engagement and beautify your neighborhood. Tending junk-filled areas helps keep your community looking clean. It's also a great way to meet your neighbors. No one leaves a clean up without a few new friends!
Once people realize that certain areas are prone to trash build up or dumping, they will be more inclined to keep litter out of their own neighborhood.
Jeffrey Prickett, a community organizer in Morgan Hill, CA, explains,
“By cleaning up different parts of the city… we hope to reduce littering and dumping in the short and long term and to increase awareness of and participation in our efforts.”
Your first step is to choose a project. Start small with a clean up of a neighborhood park or street. Ask your local public works department if there are any areas that need attention. If you're interested in cleaning up private property, you'll need permission from the owner . Ideas for a community clean-up project include:
Be sure the area you're considering for a cleanup is safe and accessible. Check with your local public works department to find out if a permit is required for a community cleanup.
The best project coordinator to lead a community cleanup is someone who can be involved from start to finish. The volunteer group will benefit from organization and enthusiasm. If you don't want to be project coordinator, choose someone reliable.
Choose a date for your neighborhood cleanup. Weekends are most popular and will give you the best turn out. Select a rain date in case the weather's bad.
Decide how many volunteers you’ll need and draw up a list of supplies. Ask local businesses to sponsor your event by publicizing it, donating supplies, and encouraging employees to participate.
Volunteer groups are key to a successful community trash pick-up day. Ask neighbors, friends, city residents, and local businesses to join. Include children in your clean up project. They're often the most enthusiastic participants. They will grow into better citizens with more involvement in their local community.
Recruit volunteers early to let people plan. Recruit through flyers, Facebook events, posting on NextDoor or neighborhood newsletters, or word of mouth.
Recruit more people than you think you need. There are always no-shows on the day of the event. Create a digital sign-up to collect volunteers' contact information.
Request donations of supplies from local businesses or ask your volunteers to come with tools and supplies. Local grocery or warehouse stores donate supplies of water and snacks to cleanup community organizations. Your public works department may have supplies or loaner programs for buckets, rakes, trash grabbers, and wheelbarrows.
Send out reminders a few days before the event. Choose a place for your volunteers to meet at the start. Have a meeting to share details of the project safety protocols.
A handout with details about the event is helpful. Include a map of the place, location of restrooms, where to refill water bottles, and how to wrap up at the end of the day.
Divide your volunteers into groups with specific jobs. Match jobs with the physical ability of the participants. Activities that can accommodate people with physical limitations include manning a check-in table, taking pictures, sorting recyclables, and distributing water and snacks.
Community members without physical limitations can do the litter collection, trash hauling, and clean up.
Give a prize for the most aluminum cans collected. Reward someone for the most unusual piece of trash found.
Create a scavenger hunt worksheet. Participants can see how many items they find. Include things like a cardboard box, an empty Sprite can, a piece of clothing, or a page from a magazine.
Prizes can include t-shirts, water bottles, or gift cards from sponsoring businesses.
When you're finished, there will be lots of content to dispose. Ask your local city officials if they have services to pick up the waste you’ve collected. They may have loaner junk bins you can use, or they schedule schedule a pick-up from the city maintenance department.
If you're responsible for the disposal, your volunteers could haul the trash bags to a local landfill. Ask a local business to use their dumpster, but don’t dump garbage in a dumpster on private property without permission.
If you have a lot of garbage, rent a roll off dumpster for the day. A dumpster right on site of your clean-up is the easiest solution.
Finally, be sure to thank all of your volunteers. After all, you couldn’t have done it without them. Plan a post-cleanup party with t-shirts, prizes, pizza, and beer. Take a group picture before everyone leaves.
Send thank you notes to volunteers and include the pictures that you took. Post a recap of your day on social media. Thank any businesses that donated supplies. Send your business sponsors a card signed by participants.
If you're planning a community cleanup or you would like a dumpster rental for a non-profit project, fill out our form for a dumpster donation. We partner with local organizations by providing free dumpster rentals for park cleanups, non-profit building projects, and charity work.
If you want to get outdoors and make a difference in your neighborhood, organize a neighborhood cleanup.
As clean-up organizer Hayley Krolik says, “Trash just really collects in these beautiful spaces. The opportunity to come together as a community are few and far between… so taking advantage of something that will really help make this space more beautiful for all of us is a great thing to participate in.”
You’ll get more than you give when you coordinate a trash cleanup. Chicago Alderman Anthony Beale has seen real results in his community:
“It’s all of us coming together to make a difference. Don’t take it for granted because every little bit counts.”
Jump in today to get a neighborhood cleanup started!
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