Clean Up Garfield

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Before, during and after

The cleanup walk guide

A short, practical guide to picking up litter on your own street or in a public spot. It is common-sense advice, not rules or official guidance; where the city, a property owner or a park has its own rules, theirs come first.

Before you go

  • Pick a small patch. One block, one bus stop, one stretch of path. Finishing a small area beats starting a big one.
  • Stay on public sidewalks, paths and your own property, or private land where the owner has said yes.
  • Keep away from traffic. Do not work on highway shoulders, ramps, medians or in the road. Litter beside fast roads is a job for the people whose job it is.
  • Tell someone where you are going if you go alone, and go in daylight.

A simple kit

  • Thick work gloves (puncture-resistant if you have them)
  • A litter grabber, so your hands stay away from what you pick up
  • Two bags: one for trash, one for recyclables if you will sort
  • Something bright to wear near any road
  • Water, and hand wipes or sanitiser for afterwards

Leave these alone

Do not pick up anything that could hurt you. Leave it where it is, keep others away from it, and report it to the people responsible for that place (for public property, the city through its own official channels).

  • Needles, syringes or anything sharp you cannot handle safely
  • Containers of chemicals, fuel, paint or anything leaking or unlabelled
  • Batteries that are swollen, damaged or hot
  • Dead animals
  • Large dumped loads, tires in quantity, or anything too heavy to lift safely

Why: the FDA says loose needles and other sharps cause needle-stick injuries and belong only in a sharps container; the EPA says household chemicals can explode, ignite or leak if handled or thrown out the wrong way; and the EPA says even used lithium-ion batteries can hold enough energy to injure or start a fire. Sources are listed at the end of this guide.

If something goes wrong

  • Call 911 for an emergency: anyone badly hurt, a fire, a container that is smoking, fuming or leaking onto a road or into a drain, or anything lying in a road where it could cause a crash. Do not go into the road to move it yourself.
  • If a needle or other sharp item sticks or cuts you, wash the area with soap and water straight away and get medical care right away (an urgent care, an emergency room or your own doctor). MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine's health site, says you will likely need lab tests, medicine or a vaccine right away, so do not wait to see whether you feel ill.
  • If a chemical splashes on your skin or in your eyes, rinse with plenty of clean water and call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 (the number MedlinePlus gives), or 911 if the person is having trouble breathing or is not alert.
  • For things that are not an emergency (a dumped load, a found needle you did not touch, a dead animal), tell the people responsible for that place: for public property, the city through its own official channels.

After the walk

  • Put full bags out with your own household trash on your normal collection day, or take them home; do not leave bags at the curb or in a park unless the place you are in says that is allowed.
  • Recyclables go in your own recycling only if they are clean and of a kind your hauler takes.
  • Wash your hands.
  • Log the outing while you still remember the count.

Counting tips

  • Count as you go, or sort the bag on a tarp at home before it goes out.
  • Cigarette butts add up fast; a rough count is fine. The tally is for you, and the categories are there so you can see what turns up most.
  • A bag is whatever bag you used; the note field can say what size if you want to remember.

Sources

This guide is general advice, not medical, legal or official guidance. The safety points above come from these public pages:

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