I was away for this weekend's cleanup, but the overall report was equally discouraging, and hopeful. This particular street has always been a challenge for us. It is most visible from Branch Ave, and from Branch you can just see a slope absolutely covered in litter. It shimmers when the light hits it right, and not in a cute way.
I believe we were last here about a year ago, and have been here close to 10 times total in our tenure in the city. Towards the top of the hill, there was a consistent dumping site where we collected likely close to 5,000 lbs total. This time, a fence had been built. While fences do stop someone (theoretically) from driving their dump truck up and just loosing a truckload of litter, it does also trap litter on either side of the fence. It may also disrupt the natural pathways of wildlife. All in all though - we're happy to see a massive reduction of litter at the top of the hill.
Going down the hill is another story. The hillside slopes down towards the West River, and is just filthy. We are particular about this hillside as well, since if it is wet/snowy we have concerns about safety. Conditions must be perfect, and today they were. Our incredible volunteers (about 20 today) pulled an estimated 800 lbs from the hillside. This included some box springs, tires, and a lot of litter from what appears to be repeat offenders. We'll be back again next weekend!
Litter collected: 800 lbs
Volunteer hours: 40
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