NEWARK, NJ — The key to fighting litter – according to longtime Newark city employee Brenda Anderson – is having fun.

It's this upbeat attitude that earned Anderson the 2017 New Jersey Clean Communities Council (NJCCC) Municipal Coordinator Award, a recognition that pays homage to her "developing and implementing an ongoing, comprehensive municipal litter program in Newark." "You have to make cleanup fun," emphasized Anderson, who has been working for the City of Newark for 30 years.

When the NJCCC gave Anderson the chance to lead Newark's cleanup programs and make them her own, she leapt at the opportunity. In short time, she secured 968 cleanup volunteers from businesses, residents, schools and community groups. Other examples of her dedication to cleaning up Newark include an annual, volunteer-run trash-cleaning event near Lincoln Park, which she turns into a mini-party with lunch, drinks, a magician and a DJ.

In addition, Anderson creates and distributes free t-shirts to volunteers each year with the "Slam Dunk The Junk" logo. She even awards the top trash collectors with "Golden Brooms," painted by Anderson to acknowledge their efforts. But if you think that Anderson is a pushover, think again; one of her main goals is to work for more litter enforcement in the city.

"You can give out materials and brochures, but until you hit their pockets, people won't care," she said.

Working with NJCCC, Anderson wants to continue the city's annual recycling summit, founded in 2015, and hopes to implement a poster contest where kids can create drawings to be featured on a billboard for clean communities.

Anderson admits her job isn't always easy, but said that she's committed to community education. "Recycling is a process," she said. "We're trying to get people to do what they're supposed to do."