Pick o' the Litter

Join this inaugural event with our sister group, The Pickup Posse, to rescue abandoned items from a huge, former homeless encampment for repurpose, reuse and recycle in collaboration with the Raleigh PD, ACORNS, and the property owner. The event photo displays some of the items Heather recently collected and donated from another much smaller abandoned encampment in North Raleigh.

Social workers and law enforcement recently offered homeless inhabitants resources as they vacated this parcel of land. Now we will go in to gather items that can be salvaged, brush & shake them off, organize and offer them back to the community. This is a large 10 acre site with varied terrain; we need LOTS of help so please sign up and recruit friends, family & neighbors. We don't expect to tackle it all in two hours, but we can make a dramatic difference and then assess next steps to continue at this location or other locations where we can partner to perform similar service. We are not collecting landfill bound litter at this event - that will be another round of work, likely for a paid contractor to be hired by the property owner.

Newcomers are encouraged but only ages 15+ with parent as this site will have sharps and other hazardous material. We will provide supplies like wheelbarrows, sleds & tarps to haul items out, grabbers, bags, face masks and gloves. Wear long pants and sleeves plus sturdy close toed shoes and dress in layers for this crazy Carolina weather. If you have your own gloves for warmth or for landscaping type work, you may want to bring them and/or wear ours too. Snacks and drinks will be provided by Heather as usual, maybe lunch if she can get it organized and/or engage a sponsor to thank us for our extensive efforts.

Each volunteer (adult and child) should complete, one time only, our All Future Events Waiver, until/unless your contact information changes. Exact meeting point in Midtown Raleigh and my phone number will be shared with attendees on Thursday, February 5.

Please register for this East Raleigh event by following this link to our sister group, The Pickup Posse, that focuses more on Central, East and South Raleigh.

Join us for a high‑impact cleanup! We’re rolling up our sleeves to clear litter near the Walmart on New Bern Ave. This cleanup will consist of both roads and one or two stormwater settlement basins. There's plenty of trash to go around. As always, we provide all supplies. Just bring sturdy clothes, solid shoes, and your best positive energy. Newcomers are most welcome.

Some info about settlement basins:
They are designed to catch the storm water from large paved areas (housing developments, shopping malls, etc...). They prevent water from just flowing into creeks and rivers, allowing the water to drain into the water table, like it would have done if the area was still undeveloped. They're a great thing. But, in addition to catching water, they also catch litter swept up by the water. And they contain overflow pipes which drain into creeks when the basin gets full, as might happen during a rare event like hurricane generated rains. When that happens, the basin's trash, collected over years, floats into creeks. So by cleaning these basins we are protecting the oceans.

Please register for this South Raleigh event by following this link to our sister group, The Pickup Posse, that focuses more on Central, East and South Raleigh.

Get ready to love our community — this one’s a big cleanup mission and we’re diving in together. This road is seriously trashed, and needs a lot of care.

New to our cleanups? Even better. Jump in, meet great people, and help us make this roadway shine again!

We’ve got all the gear you’ll need, but if you want a perfect glove fit, feel free to bring your own. Each volunteer (adult and child) should complete, one time only, our All Future Events Waiver, until/unless your contact information changes.

Precise location/parking instructions will be provided a few days before the event.
Minimum age: 16

Please register for this East Raleigh event with our sister group, The Pickup Posse that focuses more on Central, East and South Raleigh, by following this link.

All year long, plastic litter from Rogers Lane and the Food Lion shopping center sneaks its way into a long, hidden basin in the nearby woods. Now it’s our turn to swoop in and clear it out. Join us for a big, fun community cleanup where many enthusiastic hands working together will make a dramatic difference. We’re rallying a strong crew for this one, and your energy could make all the difference.
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What to bring: Your smile, your enthusiasm, and your readiness to team up for something that genuinely improves our community. Also, if you have any aluminum cans at home, bring them--we'll sell them to a recycler to offset some of our costs. All tools and supplies are provided—just show up and help us turn a littered woodland basin back into the clean, healthy space it deserves to be.
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What to wear: Sturdy clothes and shoes
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Who can join: Minimum age is 12 (youth under 15 must be accompanied by an adult). As always, newcomers are encouraged.