Trash Your Trash
Ready to get outside and get involved?
Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership is here to help!
The Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership is teaming up with the community to keep our waterways clean. Be part of the team! Below you will find several ways to get started. Whether it’s getting the word out on social media, organizing a clean-up event or joining others, we can all make a difference!
Clean neighborhoods make clean rivers
Litter from sidewalks, streets, parking lots, and nature areas eventually find its way into our rivers. This is because rain or outdoor water that runs through our neighborhoods picks up litter and debris and carries it into storm drains. When litter and other pollutants travel through our storm drains it goes directly to a creek or river, with no treatment. This pollutes our waterways and harms plants, fish, birds, and other aquatic life.
Litter wreaks havoc on our waterways. But you can help! Picking up the trash you see around your neighborhood will help protect our beautiful rivers. When you trash your trash, you create a cleaner river.
Get Involved!
In our region, there are quite a few high-trash areas that have the potential to impact our family’s daily lives, as well as the neighborhood around us. It’s up to us to take the first step and lead by example. Show our children, friends, and neighbors that keeping our play-zones and neighborhoods trash-free can be both quick and easy. Here’s a few easy tips and tricks:
- Dispose of trash in a public garbage can or your home garbage/recycle bin. For large clean up events or bulky items, please check with your local Waste Management Departments for instructions on how to dispose or transport waste.
- If you encounter sharp objects (like needles) do NOT pick them up, report them by calling 3-1-1.
- If you head into nature, look out for poison oak.
- Avoid encampments.
- Be aware of traffic and do not attempt to pick up litter in roadways.
- In parks, creeks/natural areas, follow all posted signage and limit activities to areas open to the public.
- If you clean up a local waterway, be mindful of the conditions and be careful near the water’s edge.
- Keep a safe distance from all wildlife! Leave nature as-is! Do not pick up or disturb natural objects, such as leaves or branches.
Share your clean-up efforts and photos on social media! Use the hashtag #TrashYourTrash and encourage others to get involved.
Download our Toolkit + host a clean-up event
The best way for you to create a cleaner river is to host a neighborhood clean-up. Hosting a virtual or socially-distanced clean-up is easy, download our toolkit below for instructions.
Download the Community Clean Up Toolkit
Join our Clean up Contest! Tell us about your clean-up!
If you’ve already taken your clean-up efforts to the next level, we want to hear all about it! Click the button below to tell us how much of a Superstar you are! Feel free to include photos in your submission. We can’t wait to see you make a difference!
As a bonus, we are running a contest to see who picks up the most trash, participates in the most events, and rounds up the most volunteers! The winners will be recognized on SSQP’s social media pages!
Are you ready to lend a hand, but need the right tools?
SSQP can provide a Pick-Up Kit to interested visitors! Check back for a web link where you can submit your request.
In the kit, we provide:
- Buckets
- Grabbers
- Trash Bags
- Gloves
Get connected with a clean-up group!
Looking for a clean-up group to join? Check out the Sacramento Creek Week’s webpage for volunteer ideas or our calendar of events!
Take the Trash Your Trash Pledge!
Do you pledge to dispose of your trash, to pick up litter when you see it, and to remember that clean streets equals clean rivers? Submit a pledge to make it official!
#TrashYouTrash Pledge Tracker
The Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership (SSQP) team will be tracking the number of pledges we receive. Help us reach our goal of 200 pledges! Share your efforts, whether big or small, with friends, family, coworkers and other river friendly individuals!
Be sure to check back frequently to track our progress.
Spread the word on social media!
Get the word out by sharing messages on your social media platforms! Download the templates below:
Simple actions for businesses
Business’s play an important role in litter prevention. If you own or manage a business, please keep Sacramento’s streets and waterways clean by adopting the simple actions in our tip sheet. Download the copy below and share with your team!
