Today, Public Works Director, Alfred H. Foxx, announced the results from the Mayor’s Annual Spring Cleanup, held on Saturday, April 21st.  City-wide, 217 communities participated collecting almost 250 tons of trash and debris.  This places this effort among the top three City-wide cleanups ever! 

A total of 6,000 volunteers, 1,000 more than last year, came out to sweep alleys and remove trash and debris from vacant lots. Many of these lots were converted on this day into vibrant gardens through the Mayor’s Power in Dirt Initiative.   Included among these was the kick-off site at 1501 N. Bethel St. in the Oliver Community where Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake dug in with volunteers to plant trees, shrubs and flowers.

Since the Mayor’s Cleanups began, approximately 40,000,000 pounds of debris has been removed from the City by dedicated volunteers from neighborhoods, schools, businesses, religious institutions and civic organizations with support from numerous City agencies. 

This year’s cleanup also served as the kick- off for the launch of the very first Mayor’s Clean Community Competition.  For the first time, communities have the opportunity to vie for cash prizes as an incentive for making their neighborhoods the cleanest of the clean.   Seventy-one (71) communities are competing for four first-place prizes of $5,000 and four second-place prizes of $1,000.

The winners will be announced at the Mayor’s Fall Cleanup, which will be held on October 27, 2012.