If you’ve ever taken part in a large-scale cleanup, then you know the impact that a group of people can make when they come together with a common goal. Even if you haven’t taken part in an organized cleanup before, you still may have a desire to keep our natural spaces clean and beautiful. Whether you’re a seasoned cleanup veteran or a newcomer, we’re here to help you make a difference even in these interesting times.
Changing Times
While many things have changed over the course of the last year with a global pandemic creating a more isolated society than ever before and many events being cancelled or held virtually, several organizations are trying to find ways to empower individuals to get outside and make a difference. Through solo-cleanups, individuals are able to contribute towards larger community goals and band together (socially distanced) to clean up our streets, creeks and shorelines. But how do we go about this in a way that actually makes an impact? And what if we still crave community-organized events?
Hosting Your Own Solo-Cleanup Event
If you’ve made it through most of the Netflix library and want to get outside and do something productive, then you should consider hosting your own litter pickup event. Whether by yourself, with your housemates, or socially distanced with friends, you can quickly get organized and mobilized to clean your streets or nearby waterfronts, and in doing so keep trash out of our waterways. It’s easier than you might think!
Step One: Gear Up
To make the most of your solo-cleanup day, grab a bucket or a bag to collect your trash. Find or purchase some cheap gloves to keep yourself safe from touching undesirable objects. Garden gloves work great, but single-use disposables are OK, too – though be mindful of the fact that disposable gloves will add to your waste collection A pick up stick or a pair of “trash grabbers” can come in handy to avoid having to directly touch trash and to save your back from all the bending over. These pick up sticks (or grabbers) are available at most hardware stores and you might even find a cheap alternative at your local dollar store. Take your phone so that you can log your trash and share your journey online. And finally—don’t forget your mask.
Step Two: Get Cleaning
Now that you’re all geared up, all that’s left to do is get outside and start cleaning. If you’re trying to make the most of your day out, then organize your cleanup route before you leave. If you’re planning to clean up around your neighborhood, think about any areas near you that see a lot of traffic and might have a lot of litter. If you choose a beach or shoreline instead of a neighborhood, consider the weather and conditions and think about where to dispose of your litter when you’re done. Most beaches have facilities onsite where you can dump or leave your collection, which helps ensure it’s managed properly. If you’re doing this with friends, then think about splitting up and covering a larger area. Always try to keep it local when you can and consider doing your clean up in the areas close to home. If everyone keeps their own community/neighborhood clean, it will bring us closer to the shared goal of living in a litter free world.
Step Three: Log Your Cleanup
There are a ton of useful tools for logging your cleanup efforts. By keeping track of your trash intake, you help researchers with better data collection and tracking, which ultimately ensures we’re getting the best understanding of the issue of litter control, and where the problem might need more attention. One great tool that you can use at your next cleanup is the Clean Swell App. This App allows you to tally your items, weight, and distance and share your results with a large community of eco-warriors. You can also connect with organizations listed below to help set up and track your solo-cleanup events or to join group cleanups where they are offered.
Step Four: Share Your Efforts
Obviously, the main reason for taking part in a community cleanup is to improve life in your area and to keep trash from making its way to our waterways. But, another important takeaway from hosting your own solo-cleanup is that you can inspire others to do the same in their communities. By sharing your journey with us on social media, you can plant the idea of solo-cleanups in others minds and lead to widespread interest in solo-cleanup events.
Your Impact
It can sometimes be hard to see the big picture impact when all we see is what is immediately around us. But, when you take the initiative to clean up your surroundings, your efforts affect potentially millions of others.
Take a candy wrapper for example. If there is a candy wrapper laying on the street in your neighborhood and nobody takes the time to pick it up, well that small piece of trash can end up making its way into a storm drain. Storm drains carry stormwater from large rain or irrigation events into local waterways to avoid flooding in the city. So, when that little wrapper ends up in a storm drain, it can flow all the way into a local stream, where it can be mistaken for food by local wildlife. This can potentially harm our local biodiversity. Even if the stream’s resident Great Blue Heron decides not to feast on our little candy wrapper, it can still flow downstream into new communities or even into the vast Pacific ocean. Once there, that tiny little piece of trash can potentially make its way around the world, impacting people and habitats thousands miles away.
This is one small example with one small piece of trash, but imagine millions of tiny pieces of trash doing the same thing. Not pretty is it? That is why it’s so important to take ownership of our own communities and try to make a positive change. When you organize your own cleanup event, you help implement that positive change within your community.
Safety Checklist
It’s important to remember that we’re still living in a global pandemic and we’re also sometimes dealing with some nasty trash. Remember to always consider safety first and follow these guidelines for a safe day out:
- Wear gloves and a facemask (reusable if possible).
- Maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet from others.
- Avoid touching your face.
- Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer frequently.
- Wash your gloves after use.
- Be cautious with broken glass and never pick up needles unless you have a sharps container.
- Wear close-toed shoes.
- Keep a safe distance from any wildlife you may encounter.
- If doing your cleanup along the beach always observe ocean safety practices.
