Have you seen an area in your community in need of a cleanup? Keep Austin Beautiful makes it easy to lead your own cleanup! We will provide all the supplies needed to run a successful cleanup, and can arrange to have the trash picked up from a designated area. We can also help recruit volunteers for large cleanups by posting your cleanup to our online events calendar.
Organize a Cleanup
- Contact Dray Sears at least two weeks in advance to request supplies, or at least three weeks in advance to have the full trash bags picked up.
- We’ll confirm your request and pick-up time within 48 business hours. Pick-ups and drop-offs are available Monday through Friday between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
- Pick-up and drop off the supplies at the Keep Austin Beautiful office at your pre-arranged time. Make sure to return signed liability waivers!
- Complete the Report Form and send photos to let us know how your cleanup went!
Resources for Cleanups
- Sign-in/Liability Release
- Safety Guidelines
- Recycling Tips
- Poison Ivy Fact Sheet
- Tips on Organizing a Cleanup
- Complete an Austin Litter Report to report trash in public spaces
- Tips and resources from “Let’s Can It! Austin“
- For more information about litter mitigation in Texas, check out Keep Texas Beautiful and “Don’t Mess with Texas”, a program of TxDot
FAQ
What is litter abatement? – It is the process of beautifying a space in need of trash removal to ensure that the surrounding ecosystem is able to thrive and reach its full potential.
How does a community cleanup work? – Keep Austin Beautiful hosts a variety of volunteer events throughout the year, but also provides resources for groups & individuals to organize their own cleanup’s! Through Keep Austin Beautiful’s community cleanup program, you can conduct a litter cleanup whenever, wherever, and with however many volunteers as you’d like. Keep Austin Beautiful can provide free cleanup supplies such as trash bags & gloves. If you know of an area and date that you would like to hold a cleanup, please contact Dray Sears for supplies and trash collection. Please contact Dray 2-3 weeks prior to the cleanup date if your group is interested in having Keep Austin Beautiful arrange collection of the full trash bags.
Can we recruit additional volunteers for our workday? – Once we’ve received all of your event details we can add your event to our voulnteer calendar to promote your workday.
What events do you have coming up? – If your group is interested in joining a Keep Austin Beautiful-led event, or a community event then feel free to check our GivePulse Event Page, or subscribe to Keep Austin Beautiful’s weekly volunteer opportunity newsletter.
What should I wear to volunteer? – Volunteers should come prepared to work outside on uneven terrain. Please be sure to dress for the weather and wear comfortable clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty or wet. Closed toed shoes are required and long pants are recommended. We also do not provide water bottles so please bring a full reusable water bottle to stay hydrated.
What if the weather is cold and/or rainy? – We host our events rain or shine as long as the weather does not pose a direct threat to your safety. *Should we have to cancel; a notice will be sent out 48 hours in advance*
What can I expect when I’m there? – Expectations and event details change depending on the project but a few examples are as follows.
- Garden Buildout workday – volunteers will work to loosen, replenish, plant, and maintain a community garden space.
- Cleanup – volunteers will work in pairs to collect trash & recycling at a specific location.
Are pets allowed? – Please refer to the location of your choosing’s pet policy.
Can I track this as a community service opportunity? – Unfortunately, at this time we are unable to assist with community service hours as you must be accompanied by a Keep Austin Beautiful Staff member in order to verify your participation.