Street Cleanup

Earth Day volunteers and businesses take to the street, pitch in, and help keep our community clean! Twice each year, HeightsNEXT and the Columbia Heights LIONS pick up garbage along Central Avenue, University Avenue, and in several of our city parks.

When

Spring (Earth Day)

April 20, 2024 @ 9am

Fall

October 12, 2024 @ 9am

We try to coordinate, but each organization may have different dates. Check with the Columbia Heights LIONS Club for University Avenue cleanup dates.

Where

Meeting place

Columbia Heights Public Library
3939 NE Central Ave
Columbia Heights, MN 55421

Work Area

Map of Columbia Heights, MN showing street cleanup routes with Central Avenue highlighted for HeightsNEXT, and University Avenue highlighted for the LIONS Club

HeightsNEXT volunteers pick up litter along Central Avenue and nearby parks.

Columbia Heights LIONS pick up litter along University Avenue and nearby parks.

How it works

Volunteers dress for the weather and bring their own:

Gloves
Sturdy footwear

HeightsNEXT supplies:

Safety vests
Reaching tools
Collection bags

Street cleanup gear, including work gloves, work boots, a high visibility safety vest, yellow trash bags, garbage picker stick, and a grabbing tool.

Volunteers work in teams, and are assigned a section of their route (typically a few blocks). Each team works both sides of the street, picking up garbage. Almost none of the garbage is recyclable, so everything is collected into the same bags. Pay special attention to storm drains, keeping them clear of garbage and debris.

Safety First

Volunteers should stay off the streets, and be highly visible to moving traffic. Use reaching tools to clear storm drains and collect large items from gutters. Alternatively, families or groups with children can be assigned to a local park instead of a street.

Businesses clean their own property and parking lots. Volunteers clean up the boulevards, sidewalks, bus stops, and other public spaces. The city is responsible for streets, shoulders, and gutters.

Illustration of street cleanup responsibilities showing that volunteers cover boulevards, sidewalks, and public property. The city street sweeper is responsible for the street and gutter. Businesses are responsible for their property and parking lots.

Full bags of garbage are left on the nearest street corners. Later, HeightsNEXT will collect the bags for disposal.

What gets picked up in a street cleanup?

Along Central Avenue NE, the majority of the garbage is vehicle collision debris, usually pieces of glass, plastic, or metal. A large number of facemasks are frequently found along city streets. The most difficult garbage to collect is tobacco products and fast food packaging, including small wrappers, plastic bottle caps, condiment packets, straws, and cigarette butts. Volunteers often compare rare items they find, sometimes including such oddities as a broken bicycle or even an entire vacuum cleaner.