We started with a Litter Sweep of the South End in March, and then did a “Poison Ivy Remediation” in April. Residents met on May 19th for "Trash Talk with Tacos". They discussed developments in municipal recycling. Marlene Leonce from the City’s Solid Waste Department was a featured speaker. Many residents did not realize the number of items that can now be recycled. Not only were there free tacos, there were also giveaways of recycling bins and other freebies. The goal was to have neighbors to get more things to the curb for recycling pick-up in advance of the NeighborWorks Week Dumpster Day.
The morning of June 6th got off to a rainy start. However 16 resident volunteers from the southern half of the Westside, Westside Housing staff, and even a board member and her husband came out to hold a "Dumpster Day" for NeighborWorks Week. Everyone met around 3 trash dumpsters and a leaf and brush dumpster stationed at the Roasterie parking lot, a thriving coffee roasting plant in the neighborhood. A few neighbors with trucks went around to houses that had called ahead and said they needed help disposing of garbage. The neighbors loaded the trucks up and brought them back to the parking lot to be unloaded by volunteers. It was a wet start, with an inch of rain first thing that morning, but soon the weather cleared. Volunteers managed to fill two dumpsters with trash, while another resident sorted out recyclable materials to be taken to the recycling center later. After that, a celebration bar-b-que was had with lunch donated from Danny Edwards Famous Kansas City Bar-b-que restaurant.
Way to Sweep It Up, Keep It Up Westside!