For the past 23 years, one local organization hosts a community wide event focused on beautifying the neighborhood.
Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful’s The Great American clean-up invites community members to clean-up someone else’s trash.
Volunteers collect litter from parks, roads and other areas. They then place the trash in large yellow bags.
According to organizers, removing litter increases environmental health, deters crime and promotes economic vitality.
“It’s a lot of fast food, a lot of plastic bags, water bottles, fast food wrappers and Styrofoam,” said Miracle Mile Rockford executive director Paula Olson. “None of that stuff is going to decompose so if we don’t pick it up it’s going to be here forever.”
Source : WIFR