Elk Grove community cleanup group set out to make difference from what's left behind by others
ELK GROVE – A group of Elk Grove residents is doing their part to make their neighborhood better and cleaner, one piece of trash at a time.
Elk Grove Anti-Trash Volunteers have been meeting every week since 2020. The group was originally founded during the COVID-19 pandemic after David Irons and Khaliah Ingram, posted their cleanup plans on an online community page as a way of getting outside to do something productive while social distancing.
From there, they started a community of their own ready to tackle the growing trash problem cluttering their streets, parks and trails.
"I've always said it takes a community to care for a community," Sharon Anderson, a member of the Elk Grove Anti-Trash Volunteers said.
Anderson has been with the group since the beginning and loves seeing how the group has grown in size. Most of them started off as strangers to now friends.
"We'll get people thanking us in the community because they know who we are and that's so cool," Anderson said. "We always say they can join us too."
Over the past four years, they have created a friendly, family-like environment through a shared interest in eliminating litter in a fun and accessible way.
She said each group ranges in age from children to seniors, all to help make their community the best it can be.
"Picking up trash is like a scavenger hunt and it's so fun to see kids get excited about what they can find," Anderson said.
From hitting local parks, waterways, and trails Elk Grove Anti-Trash volunteers pick a new location each week to meet up at. From there volunteers spend a few hours searching for litter sometimes coming back with multiple bags of trash.
"When everybody comes back and we have five to ten bags of trash in a big pile, it's a success. It's all the trash that's no longer in our waterways, on our streets and on our trails," Anderson said. "It's done, it's out."
Since the start, they have been able to pick up thousands of pounds of trash, sometimes in one trip. From wrappers to cigarette butts, bottles to larger items like broken bicycles, they have collected it all.
They have partnered with and are supported by, the City of Elk Grove, Cosumnes Community Services District and the River City Waterway Alliance, among others. Picking up trash but also letting the city crews know about any issues they find on streets, power poles and signs.
"We want Elk Grove to be different from anywhere. When people come here we want them to be amazed at how clean it is," Anderson said.
Elk Grove Anti-Trash Community Cleanups are done at the volunteers' risk. There will be a safety meeting, beginning at 9 a.m. prior to cleanup. The group typically meets on Saturdays and coordinates the event and location via their Facebook page.