Studying the impact of routine cleanups on littering behavior
hyperlocal social experiment //
environmental stewardship //
advocacy
september 2025 — february 2026
I cleaned one neighborhood, well, 10% of one neighborhood, for the last six months…and I tracked every little piece.
Total cleanups
Total trash
read more about the study
how can you support my work?
(besides not littering)
I have been cleaning up around my neighborhood blocks and collecting data for the last six months, picking up a monthly average of 1,900 pieces of trash around one block in particular.
I sent a letter to my neighborhood representative, summarizing my data and requesting the addition of two trash cans on the block.
I would like to measure the impact this installation has on the monthly litter level.
I received a supportive response from one of my rep’s aides who guided me to submit a 311 service request for the public trash cans.
I was also encouraged to spread the word and have others submit 311 tickets in support of this request. Click below to help keep this block clean!
After eight weeks of weekly cleanups around this block in Capitol Hill, I am shifting to a daily cleanup frequency in an effort to strengthen the anti-littering norm.