Ezra J. Temko

Many Newarkers are concerned about litter in our community.  Whether concerned for reasons of pride and beautification, ecological concerns, or sense of place, it is definitely an issue that is worth addressing.

One of the principle rules of litter prevention is not having litter in the first place.  People are more likely to have a message that it is “okay” to litter if they already see litter on the ground.  This is similar to when people are more likely to keep their home and yard in better/worse condition when they see the current state of the rest of their neighborhood.

One way that Newark gets litter off the ground, which serves both to clean up our community and deter future litter, is through our annual Spring Community Clean Up.  This clean up is one Saturday morning each Spring from 9am to 11pm.  There are usually about 100 volunteers, from concerned residents and UD students to families and neighborhood groups to high school students and community organization members.  This past Spring volunteers collected 1,210 pounds of trash/debris!

After being contacted by a constituent about littering in our community, I conversed with the city manager and Parks & Recreation Department director and suggested that we should have an additional community cleanup each year.  Last time I was out with the Graduate Student Senate the volunteers there even expressed interest in doing this more than once a year.  After looking into this proposal, the city decided to offer a Fall community cleanup this November.

It will be on Saturday, November 14, from 9am to 11pm.  Interested community members should meet outside city hall.