Cleveland member picks up street trash for 24 hours straight.

zzuHF9z
For the rest of the post…
For the rest of the post, picture me as a tiny head bodybuilder who heavily focuses on developing the left side of his body.

I made a promise to clean up trash for 24 hours (11am Saturday to 11am Sunday). I only stopped to eat, use the restroom and relocate to new areas of trash.
 


rEp6dx1
It started as a group.
About 10 people committed to cleaning up trash in Cleveland for 1 to 3 hours. After the group was done, I went on for another 21 hours.

There are probably better group photos, but I like this one because this random woman in sunglasses walked into the picture and looks like someone yelled Charizard, but there is no Charizard.
 


ayrGkt7
In the middle of two houses.
Apparently Ohio State University is doing some studies on insects. Focused on urban environments maybe?
The painted one was on the ground. I think is intended for kids so they don’t play in the area. It starts with “It doesn’t look nice” but I couldn’t really read the rest. Must have washed away.
 


Cgcl1KV
Lake Erie
According to a study conducted by California State University, 91% of litter in the United States is under 4 inches long. Litter gets caught up in rain water and much of it can make it through the sewer grates. Poor Lake Erie 🙁
 


ow1Aj3a
r/oddlysatisfying
Fit perfectly in the grabber arm. However, an empty, undented pop can might feel a little better because of the roundness and satisfaction of crushing it in unforgiving grip of your robotic arm.

Pro tip: Duel wield grabber arms and push along a cart. Holding the bag is busch league.

Side note: Most common type of litter in USA is tobacco products.
 


xrKDaAl
I’m still not sure if this is a pro-Trump or anti-Trump sign.
I imagine it’s anti-Trump, but I thought maybe it could be pro regarding immigration maybe? Sponsorship was covered by the billboard walkway at my angle.

I walked down Detroit Avenue, from Lakewood (W. 117th) to Downtown Cleveland (Public Square) and did almost all of both north and south sides of the street. Some other places too.
 


QqzxlGD
Trash bags everywhere.
The heart of Downtown had little trash bags everywhere because of the Republican National Convention. There was very very little trash on the streets compared to outside of downtown.
 


aZj1s1x
I wonder what the story behind this is.
This was around West 25th. This is a very large sign on a fence. Behind the fence a dog was barking. I wonder if it was a new dog or perhaps a dog who lost a friend.
 


trNmT2N
Broken Window Theory
A couple of social scientists published an article in 1982 about a concept called the Broken Window Theory. The basic thought is that when people see that small crimes in a neighborhood (e.g., littering, graffiti, etc.) it sends a social signal that crime is normal/acceptable, making it more likely for people to commit larger crimes (e.g., robbery, assault, etc.).

Outside the obvious environmental impacts, that’s why I think litter is bad for communities.

This picture was taken on Detroit Avenue. The car was in a repair lot, but looks like it was beaten in with a hammer or something.
 


HZYuwCO
Only a portion of a portion.
This is only a portion of the recycling we collected. We separated recycling and trash as much as reasonable. But when I went on my own, I ditched a lot of recycling or trash in the appropriate dumpsters behind businesses or out on the street in front of homes.

The nonprofit I volunteered with and am a part of is called “because I said I would.” Here’s a link to their Cleveland chapter: https://becauseisaidiwould.org/cleveland
I’m not sure what the group tally was, but I collected around 50 kitchen bags of litter off the streets in the 24 period.
 


NXktFTp
The championship felt great, but we still have a lot of work to do.
The group wants to make a piece of art out of some of the trash we collected and place it downtown as a symbol of our commitment to supporting our city. If you know any Cleveland artists who might want to help, PM me.

I love Cleveland and it’s a beautiful place The pictures I posted aren’t intended to be full representation of our town by any means. I guess my mind is just still in the trash. Thanks for reading.
 


J1CofBE
because I said I would.
Get your promise cards at NO COST https://becauseisaidiwould.org/requestcards

Several News stations have also written about this story:
Cleveland 19 Actions News