TODAY WAS AN INCREDIBLE DAY PICKING UP TRASH!

 

Today was an incredible day of picking up trash.  Maybe the hardest day, but so worth it.

I started this morning at Morgan Park.  It looked pretty clean, but it wasn't.  Lots of glass and water bottles.  I picked up glass going west on the sidewalk, crossed the street and picked up trash on the other side.  

At Beardsley, I turned right and went one block, picking up glass on every sidewalk square.  When I got to the corner, I saw the worst mess.  It was apparently where the homeless people stayed for a while.  I didn't take a before picture, because I didn't plan on cleaning it.  But of course I did.

There was carpet and padding and big sheets of plastic, clothing, liquor bottles, potato chip and donut bags . . . and a tire and a big sheet of Styrofoam.  

I rolled up the disgusting carpet and filled two big bags.  I'll ask Keep Akron Beautiful to come pick this up.  Not putting any of that in my car.  Ick!

I drove by that messy area every time I went to Morgan Park, and every time I picked up trash on Lover's Lane.  Now that it's all clean, it can be mowed.

Right across the street, the houses are nice and neat.  One guy was getting ready to mow his grass.  A young woman came home in an SUV and was carrying groceries.  She glanced over at me, and then quickly disappeared into her house.  Maybe she thought I was a homeless person!  Yikes!

I wish I could see the look on her face when she sees how nice it looks now.  Her property value just went up!

I spent three hours working on Morgan Park and that dump site on Beardsley.  After a break, I headed over to the entrance ramp at 76 & Main.  Didn't make it again.  I saw this mess under the overpass.  I cleaned it last year, but it was all trashed up again.

More homeless people living here, I think.  Why do they make such a mess?  I feel bad that they don't have a house to live in, but can't they pick up their garbage?  Why do they have to leave a trail like this?

I felt uneasy picking up trash here.  It's a bit secluded.  Seven people walked by me as I was working.  They all said hello, and nobody bothered me.

Now it's all clean again.  I filled up two big trash bags and found big pieces of cardboard and plywood.  I'm not asking Keep Akron Beautiful to pick these bags up.  I'm not sure they could even find this spot.  

I drove my car over and put everything in the back and took it to a dumpster.

And finally . . . I made it to Main Street!  I parked my car off South Street and walked up the hill to the sidewalk.  It was all cleaned up!

Well, sort of all cleaned up.  Somebody worked really hard picking up the trash along the sidewalk.  My guess it was my friend, Tom.  There are two big bags across the street, and they aren't Keep Akron Beautiful bags, so it had to be Tom.

Thank you!!!

All the trash was picked up along the street and sidewalk, but higher up, it was still a mess.  When the ticks come out, it won't be safe to pick up trash in the weeds, so it has to be picked up now.

It looked like this.  So gross!  More homeless people leaving a trail of garbage.

You can see the trash from the road, but only if you look for it.  If we want to Keep Akron Beautiful, it all needs picked up, even the trash that isn't easily visible from the street.

So I fought with the weeds and pulled bottles and bags and cans out and threw everything in the dumpster.

I went to dinner to celebrate an incredible day of picking up trash.

I picked up 4,688 pieces of trash today.  I'm at 572,000 pieces.   

If I keep going at this pace, I will have picked up 100,000 pieces in just four weeks!  

That's what I need to reach my one million piece goal by the end of summer.