While there are many ways to encourage eco-friendly living, cleaning up litter and trash is one practice that has an immediate effect on your community. While this is something anyone can do on their own, a larger trash clean-up initiative will have a more widespread effect on your community. These tips can help you organize this type of program in your own neighborhood.
Create a Plan
You should start by sketching a plan for your event. This should include choosing a date for the event and establishing an alternative date if you get rained out. You should also come up with a few ideas for activities for the event as well as listing any supplies you’ll need. Other things to consider include whether or not you’ll need special permits, portable toilet rentals, or other special accommodations. The locations for the event should also be clearly defined.
Choose the Right Leader
Even though you’re organizing the event, you may not be the best person to lead it. If you don’t consider yourself to be a “people person” or you just prefer to remain in the shadows, it may be helpful to choose another person to lead. Try to find someone with an outgoing, charismatic personality who feels strongly about caring for the environment. These qualities will be helpful in encouraging others to feel passion for the project.
Delegate Tasks
You don’t have to do everything yourself and, if you try, you’ll likely overlook a few things. As you begin getting volunteers, assign each one to a different task. You can assign one person the task of gathering the trash clean-up supplies and another the responsibility of taking attendance, especially if there are students participating in the initiative and can use community service hours. You may also need a couple of people to manage water and snacks for the event. You should keep a list of tasks and mark down each volunteer’s name as you assign them a duty.
Organizing a trash clean-up can become complicated, depending on how big of an event you’re planning. Don’t forget to take care of the legalities, such as asking volunteers to sign disclaimers to protect you against injury claims. Protecting yourself from financial and legal issues will ensure you can continue organizing future trash clean-up activities and other eco-friendly events.