Community Litter Eradication Awareness Network

Keep American Beautiful (Public Service Announcement Commercial from 1970s)

What about a C.L.E.A.N. (Community Litter Eradication Awareness Network) Project involving community and stakeholders desiring positive results of a litter-free Lithonia, Stonecrest, DeKalb County, and United States of America?

This a team of individuals desiring a clean, beautiful and healthy DeKalb County and United States of America.

The C.L.E.A.N. team is comprised of, but not limited to, people from DeKalb County community, residents, merchants, legislators, law enforcement persons, healthcare professionals, non-profits, and faith-based organizations.

Why Do People Litter?

1.People litter because they do not feel responsible for public areas like streets and parks. The more they litter, the more it becomes a habit, and the worse the community looks.

2.People usually litter outside their own neighborhood where their trash becomes someone else's problem.

3.People litter because they believe someone else -- a maintenance worker or responsible neighbor -- will pick up after them.

4.Once litter starts to pile up, people feel even less responsible for adding to the litter. If an area is clean, people are less likely to litter.

(City of Chicago, 2010, Why do people litter? Retrieved from https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/streets/supp_info/whypeoplelitter.html)

DeKalb County Litter Prevention

"Keep DeKalb Beautiful plays a key role in preventing littering along county roads and public spaces. KDB is a member of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, a certified Keep America Beautiful, Inc. affiliate and is dedicated to improving the look, vitality, and economic integrity of our community by beautifying surrounding areas. Neighborhoods that are beautiful to look at are beautiful to live in, work in, and visit. Community clean-ups, anti-littering messaging, planting trees and landscaping projects are completed by volunteer groups in order to create a more aesthetically pleasing County."
(DeKalb County, 2018, Litter prevention, Retrieved from https://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/beautification/litter-prevention)

Keep America Beautiful

"Litter is more than just a blight on our landscape. Litter is costly to clean up, impacts our quality of life and economic development, and eventually ends up in our waterways and oceans. Among our many initiatives, the Keep America Beautiful Litter Index and Community Appearance Index are step-by-step methods of assessing current litter conditions and other indicators which is used in thousands of communities and by municipalities nationwide. Today, we are as committed as ever to providing people with the resources to help prevent litter with the ultimate goal of helping to end littering in America." (Keep America Beautiful, n.d., End Littering, Retrieved from https://www.kab.org/resources/end-littering)

Keep America Beautiful - Facebook

Litter Project

The LitterProject Mission

1. to inspire 100,000 people to each pick up one piece of litter per day

2. to empower individuals and organizations to organize their own community improvement projects

3. to encourage enjoyment of the above

(Litter Project, 2018, Mission, Retrieved from http://www.litterproject.com/mission/)

Organizing a Litter Cleanup Campaign in Your Community

"Following these guidelines and getting support from your town or city will insure that your group will have a half-day of fun and rewarding work that will benefit the community and the natural environment." (IPCA, n.d., Organizing a Litter Cleanup Campaign in Your Community, Retrieved from http://www.ctema.com/gene/Organizing%20a%20Litter%20Cleanup%20Campaign%20in%20Your%20Community.pdf)