STAFF REPORTS

ASHEVILLE — Spring cleaning doesn’t just mean getting rid of junk in the garage and all those things hiding in the back of your closet. It also means cleaning up the junk, litter, tires and other human-made detritus that has collected over the winter along Asheville’s roads and rivers.

To celebrate spring, and to keep Asheville clean and beautiful, environmental nonprofit Asheville GreenWorks, the city and the Asheville Neighborhood Advisory Committee are working together to host the second annual Citywide Neighborhood Cleanup Day April 30.

"Over the past year, we've noticed a significant rise in community interest in cleanups, Hard 2 Recycle, Tire Amnesty Days and in developing neighborhood plans," said GreenWorks operations manager Eric Bradford. "Asheville residents want to keep our city clean and take care of the place we live."

Residents of every corner of the city are encouraged to participate, from West Asheville to Montford, Chunns Cove to Livingston Street, and Shiloh to South Asheville.

Residents don't have to be part of an organized group to join the cleanup.

If people want to work through their neighborhood organizations or less formal groups, they can pick a neighborhood captain, who can go to Asheville GreenWorks before April 30 to pick up cleaning supplies, safety vests, gloves and trash bags.

On April 30, the captain will distribute gear to neighborhood volunteers to clean a stream, a park, a roadside, a parking lot or other common area and sort trash and recyclables into separate bags, as well as clean out leaf debris from storm drains and curbsides.

Participants are also encouraged to bring their own safety and cleanup gear.

There will be specially designated areas for trash collection on that day, or the trash can be placed in individual residential bins. City sanitation workers will be in charge of trash and recyclables picked up April 30.

The cleanup is open to everybody, all ages, organized church or Scout groups or just families or individuals, who want to help clean up their neighborhoods, and "maybe take the opportunity to meet their neighbors," said GreenWorks executive director Dawn Chávez.

"We’re removing litter, but also clearing out leaf debris from storm drains to keep them clear to avoid flooding, to make Asheville neighborhoods clean and safe," she said.

Want to learn more?

For more on the Neighborhood Cleanup Day or to sign up your neighborhood, visit www.ashevillegreenworks.org or call 828-254-1776.