• Attract wild dogs and vermin;
• Signal to criminals that residents in this neighborhood do not care, which can be interpreted as an invitation for criminal activity;
• Provide places for criminals, gangs, and drug dealers to hang out, especially in vacant buildings;
• Attract vandalism and graffiti;
• Pose a fire hazard; and
• Bring down the values of surrounding properties.

Keep the sidewalk and the street in front of your home or business free of litter
Don't sweep trash, leaves, or lawn clippings into the street. Instead, put litter and yard waste into a garbage bag for disposal or composting.

Set an example
When you go on a walk around your neighborhood, take a small trash bag along with you. If you see a piece of trash, pick it up. You'll set a great example for your neighbors, especially the children in your neighborhood.

Get to know the local sanitation crew
Personal contact with sanitation staff may be a good way to get a problem solved. Let them know you care and write a letter of praise to their superiors when they do a good job.

Alert the police of problem areas or when illegal dumping occurs
If litter is repeatedly dumped in certain areas, notify the police and provide them with as much detail as possible about the problem and the problem area.

Step 1
Get started by contacting your Homeowners Association or another neighborhood-based association or organization. Offer to help organize a neighborhood clean-up day and get them excited about supporting this effort. Enlist the aid from near-by school or church youth groups, scouting organizations, business groups, or other community groups. Form a clean-up committee of five or more neighborhood volunteers. Walk around the neighborhood and take detailed notes on the problems that you see - identify the clean-up boundaries and your clean-up needs.

If your neighborhood does not have a neighborhood organization, contact your city or town hall to find out how to start such a group in your community, or skip to the next step and really get the word out to your neighbors about what you want to do. Chances are that they will want to help out.

Step 2
Once you know what needs to be done, pick a date and a time for the Clean-Up Day. Most groups choose a weekend in the spring or the fall since this is when more people are available and the weather is best for outdoor clean-up work. The more neighborhood volunteers, the more successful the project, so get the word out about the event at your neighborhood association meetings and around your neighborhood early on. Use flyers, e-mail, and word of mouth to publicize the event around the neighborhood. Sign up interested volunteers and identify and contact local groups, businesses, and municipal departments for donations or assistance. Let everyone voice their opinions and suggest what needs to be done. Coordinate with sanitation officials to provide additional dumpsters and to haul away the collected trash at the end of the Clean-Up Day.

Step 3
When the Clean-Up Day Arrives, arrange for all volunteers to gather in a local park or public place and "kick off" your Clean-Up Day with a pep-talk. Divide volunteers up into teams for specific tasks. Give people a chance to meet and socialize with people they ordinarily would not. It is a good idea to assign people to tasks in their immediate area - if possible on their block. Supply the teams with plastic bags, recycling bags, gloves, and containers. Make sure they can distinguish between recyclable and non-recyclable materials. Try to provide refreshments to workers, hold a neighborhood block party after the clean-up, and ask a local movie theater to donate free passes in appreciation for the clean-up volunteers or hold a raffle with donated items from local businesses.

Step 4
Now that you have a beautiful neighborhood, don't let all your hard work go to waste! Ask your local officials to post official "No Dumping" signs in areas that are prone to dumping. You can also look into blocking vehicle access to areas that are prone to dumping by planting trees or installing other obstacles and you can request additional lighting for these areas since most dumping takes place at night. Organize or work with an existing Neighborhood Block Watch group to be on the lookout for illegal dumping. Work with police to have them patrol these areas around the times you think the illegal dumping occurs. Schedule regular clean ups on an ongoing basis throughout the year. Experience shows that two to three months are necessary to plan and organize a neighborhood Clean-Up Day.

1. They need to be founded on leadership and support by local officials;
2. There must be cooperation among authorities, communities, and industry;
3. An integrated approach must be taken when addressing the problem; and
4. Success must be publicized.