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Citizen involvement is a vital component of the Redd Up initiative By visiting this web site, you have already started to empower yourself to contribute to the cleaning and greening of Pittsburgh. The next step is to visit the calendar/schedule page to learn how you can participate in the many Redd Up events occurring throughout the City. Or coordinate your own clean-up effort using the following information. 1. Spread the word and gather the troops – Build your team!
Your clean-up initiative can start with a group of neighbors in your living room, or you can do your homework and identify and invite key stakeholders to the local church basement. Ask yourself who shares my concern? Think outside of the box! Potential partners can include: school officials, police, environmental groups, DPW division supervisor, chamber of commerce, clergy, youth programs, public health agencies, neighborhood councils, volunteer groups and community development corporations. 2. Assess both the assets and problems within the neighborhood You must understand the situation before you can successfully and address it so that your effort is sustainable. We often have the tendency to focus on the negative, but it is important to identify community assets that can contribute to your effort. Assets include: existing community groups, green space, businesses, schools, and parks. Groups such as PA CleanWays of Allegheny County, Inc. and Keep America Beautiful offer assessment strategies to quantify your problem so that you can best formulate your plan of attack. Contact PA CleanWays of Allegheny County, Inc. at www.pacleanways.org/allegheny or Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful at http://www.keeppabeautiful.org/index.asp to learn more. 3. Organize a litter or illegal dump clean-up There are two types of clean-ups, litter and illegal dumping, and it’s important to identify which one you wish to tackle before starting. The type of clean-up will dictate what resources you need and what type of volunteer should participate.
Tips to Organize a Successful Litter Clean-up: 1. Use your team to pull together the resources that you will need for your clean-up Checklist
2. Use your assessment to divide your community into zones and assign a zone to a group of volunteers. Choose a crew leader to direct each group and ensure safety of volunteers. 3. Consider the following to keep your volunteers motivated:
4. Create a Citizens Against Litter Group to give your volunteers a sense of ownership and make the effort sustainable. Use groups identified on the Resources page to come and speak at your meetings. Call (412) 255-CITY or email us to learn more about organizing a litter clean-up and initiating a Citizens Against Litter group in your community. An Illegal Dump is a concentrated pile of debris that is purposefully dumped. Illegal dumps are often located on wooded hillsides, in alleys, and on vacant lots. Commonly dumped items include: appliances, construction debris, mattresses, car parts, and tires. Call (412) 255-CITY or email us to learn more about organizing a clean-up.
Printer-friendly version of the Get Involved info
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Litter is everyday trash discarded throughout public spaces. Common types of litter include: beverage containers, candy wrappers, cigarette butts, and fast food packaging. 
