On the trash-covered surface, neighborhood cleanups are about getting rid of unwanted junk and picking up litter. But underneath the debris, the value is even greater.
The recent Mark Twain Neighborhood cleanup resulted in seven trash dumpsters (14.5 tons) of discarded trash, 2.1 tons of metal, three brush dumpsters and 2,400 pounds of paper shredded. This included 104 neighbors participating, 22 household pickups, 19 volunteers and an overwhelming amount of community banding together. After a long year of hardship and isolation, reconnecting with old neighbors and meeting new was an unintentional positive in addition to cleaning up spaces. The pride felt within our community making our streets clean and prosperous-looking also had concrete benefits.
Mark Twain is lucky to have the Sunset Church of Christ as our host for our monthly meetings. Phillip Bates, preaching minister, said, “Sunset Church of Christ was thrilled to host this event for our community. In a world where love for neighbor seems to be on the decline, our desire is to be a people who honor God and love fellow humans. We hope to continue our involvement in the Mark Twain Neighborhood through regular service opportunities that meet the physical and spiritual needs of our community.”
As a registered neighborhood, these organized cleanups are free for everyone within the neighborhood. This gives residents the opportunity to dispose (for free!) yard waste and other debris trash haulers will not accept, or only accept for a fee. Those piles of window panes, shingles and siding, bulky furniture – oftentimes a breeding ground for pests – were disposed of by drop-off or pickup, and in many cases repurposed or recycled to keep debris out of landfills.
Any registered neighborhood can benefit from this kind of organized cleanup. One person’s trash cleanup is everyone’s treasure.