20 Tips for Maintaining Safe, Clean, Healthy
Communities
Millions of Americans are
celebrating clean, safe and healthy communities this spring as they
volunteer for Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup™.
Now in its 23rd year, the Great American Cleanup is the nation’s largest
annual community improvement program. More than 30,000 events are being
planned in more than 15,000 communities. Here are 20 great tips for
improving community environments for everyone to enjoy year-round:
- Work with the local civic groups to
identify and eliminate eyesores, and beautify the local environment.
- Pick up a piece of litter every
day.
- Keep a litter bag in your car or
your recreational vehicle so you dispose of litter properly.
- Create a trash fishing contest in
your waterway to increase awareness about illegal dumping and
littering.
- Write a letter to the editor of
your local newspaper asking others to respect public lands and keep
them clean.
- Help your local schools conduct
recycling drives and clean-up projects.
- Create a beautiful green space by
planting trees and shrubs in an area in need of improvement.
- Ask local businesses to adopt a
spot and take care of it.
- Paint and fix up playground
equipment.
- Organize a paint-out with family
and friends, and create a community paintbrush mural over a wall of
illegal graffiti.
- Recycle your scrap tires and
plastic (PET) bottles, and "Wipe
Out Wireless Waste" by recycling wireless phones that are no
longer used.
- Report graffiti to your local
authorities.
- Donate your old computer equipment
or dispose of it properly.
- Conduct a recycling drive in your
neighborhood or at your place of business.
- Volunteer to help your employer
conduct a paper recycling drive at work.
- Donate gently used clothes to needy
organizations and shelters and identify other items that you can
reuse.
- Compost yard and food waste and
seek advice if you don’t know how.
- Find out how pollution in storm
drain runoff can impact our aquifers and ecosystems and be passionate
about doing your part to reduce litter and solid waste.
- Ask your local government officials
to establish regular community improvement activities, and to support
and promote volunteer efforts.
- Help your library establish an
environmental corner that offers books and other educational materials
about taking care of the Earth.
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