LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Earlier this year, funds from Metro Louisville’s leftover funds was designated to create the Clean Collaborative Crew. The Collaborative launched with $1.5 to increase staffing and purchase equipment for cleanups, street sweeping, graffiti removal and vacant lots mowing.
The crew identified the city’s most littered areas and then planned – starting with the worst areas and then expanding to other streets.
The 13-person crew and their equipment were first deployed in February and thus far have cleaned 376 curb miles and collected 2,200 bags, removing 96 tons of litter from Metro’s roadways.
The group has already covered over 200 miles of road and picked up over 100,000 pounds of litter. As of right now, the funding is only for the next fiscal year, but coordinator Robert Rush believes the program will be extended.
“You just see the impact that illegal dumping has on residents, you see the impact from the litter down roadways. So I'm excited about it because I've spoken to the people it affects and I can see how disheartening it can be for them," he said.
Lush said the team is working hard to get the streets cleaned up but also needs the public’s help encouraging everyone to get involved in their own neighborhood cleanups.
Here are ways residents can get involved in helping keep the community clean.
- Choose not to litter and make a commitment to always dispose of trash properly.
- Understand litter laws in Louisville and pick up litter when it’s spotted.
- Report a litterer online.
- Organize a neighborhood cleanup with Brightside.
- Only set out junk or bulk items during its scheduled set out period.
To learn more about the collaborative and how you can help, click here.
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