Keeping it groovy
Check any parking lot around town, and many of the cars have one thing in common. The ubiquitous oval bumper magnet, TKPK, “Keep Our City Clean, Green and Groovy,” can be found on any make, model or year of car and has even been spotted as far away as Denver, Colorado. Alone on the tailgate or wedged in between other messages of all kinds, our groovy anti-litter branding says something about Takoma Park.
With all these bumpers advertising our clean and green city, we shouldn’t have a litter problem, but we do. Residents sporting the anti-litter message are making a statement that we are all in this together. And that is what the Anti-litter Initiative is all about: keeping our City clean together. We all have a responsibility not only to pick up litter when we see it, but to not throw it down in the first place. The Antilitter Initiative is built on the idea that the residents and City government will work together to keep our city clean, green and groovy. And here’s how.
Seasonal Litter Clean-ups
April is Anti-Litter Month. This is the best and easiest time to find a way to join the effort to rid Takoma Park of litter. School groups from elementary all the way through the university level have clean ups scheduled.
The Takoma Langley Crossroads Association has regular clean ups advertised on their website: takomalangley.org.
Main Street Takoma invites residents to come out on Saturday, April 16, www. mainstreettakoma.org/event/spring-community-clean-up-day.
The Alice Ferguson Foundation hosts the Potomac River Watershed Clean Up with sites all over the region, to volunteer visit: fergusonfoundation.org/trash-freepotomac-watershed-initiative/potomacriver-watershed-cleanup/volunteers.
Many residents make Sweep the Creek a tradition and on April 23-24, you can too: www.fosc.org/sweepthecreek.htm.
The Anti-litter Initiative owes a special thank you to the hundreds of students from Takoma Academy and Washington Adventist University who will participate in clean ups all around the City on April 6 and April 15. When you see these students and others in the community who are spending their time picking up litter to make our City Clean, Green and Groovy, please say, “Thank you!”
Adopt-a-Spot
Adopt-a-Spot allows individuals or groups to adopt areas located within Takoma Park for regularly scheduled litter pick-ups. The City recognizes the individual or group with a sign bearing the group’s name at the spot. The City will also provide cleaning equipment, such as trash bags and gloves.
Examples of eligible locations include parks, landmarks, schools, vacant lots, walkways or trails, campuses, public grounds, or any sites prone to litter. Many groups are already committed to keeping a spot litter free. Sister Eden, Ace Hardware and the Young Activists Club were the first to agree to regular monthly clean ups. The Green Elf Takoma Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops will join them this Spring. Download the application from the City website: takomaparkmd.gov/initiatives/anti-littering.
Sick of Signs
During Sick of Signs Week in September, the City urges residents to put “Street Spam” back in the can by tearing down illegally posted signs in the public right-ofway. Don’t wait for September, go ahead and take down illegal signs anytime.
“Street Spam” can be signs that offer to buy your house, advertise summer camps, or ask for your scrap gold. Throughout the week, residents collect signs from bus shelters, utility poles, and transformer boxes, then bring them to a sign tally at the Community Center. The Housing and Community Development department awards prizes and provides refreshments at the sign tally. Sick of Signs Week involves the community in eliminating the paper trails that clog public spaces and eventually become litter.
