Despite decades of messaging from litter prevention campaigns, trash still finds its way on to streets and cul-de-sacs-- everywhere. A Portland-based nonprofit has been inspiring residents to clean up their neighborhoods, one block at a time.
Since its inception in 2020, Adopt One Block has helped over 7,000 people become Block Ambassadors. The volunteers beautify and maintain over 8,500 square blocks in Washington and Oregon.
Sarah Yapp adopted her block in south Eugene. With cars whirring by, she explained why. “When I was growing up my dad actually made me walk up and down the street picking up trash. And this was the era of McDonald Styrofoam garbage, people just throwing it out their windows. So, I used to hate that,” she said. “And then I grew up and I realized, you know what? I don’t like trash on the street as an adult either.”
“Oh, I got something.” Yapp uses her grabber to snatch up a paper cup from the base of a bush and drops it in a bag.
Olivia Langley is Director of Operations for Adopt One Block. “We send you free clean up supplies,” she said. “That’s everything from a five-gallon handle bucket, a trash grabber, industrial trash bags, gloves.”
Langley said it’s easy to become a Block Ambassador. Just go to AdoptOneBlock.org to sign up and use the heat map to pick your block.
Block Ambassadors set their own schedules for trash grabbing and can access a whole slew of resources from Adopt One Block to navigate various “trash encounters.” Langley said, when necessary, sharps medical containers are provided to volunteers. But she insisted, folks should only do the amount of clean up they are comfortable doing. Things like broken glass, discarded needles and hazardous materials can be handled by municipal and environmental agencies, she said.
How it all started
In the fall of 2020, not even a year into the pandemic, Frank Moscow, stepped out of his front door in Portland, looked around and saw way too much trash lying around. He decided to start walking around his block, picking it up.
Pretty soon, Moscow wondered if others might be into doing the same thing. That’s how Adopt One Block began. Langley said the nonprofit has continued with grants and private funding. The idea is to help anyone, anywhere become a Block Ambassador.
Spreading the word
Sarah Yapp shared the idea with friend Rachel Sanders and now they both pick up trash on their own blocks and beyond.
What’s the most common debris they see?
“Easily it’s cigarette butts, everywhere,” Sanders said without missing a beat. And Yapp added, “Also, I pick up a lot of surgical masks and tissues.”
The friends said the garbage can sometimes be gross, but they both get a lot of satisfaction in cleaning it up.
“Here we are picking up trash and there’s people cheering us on and people joining the party and adopting their neighborhoods and it’s growing!” Yapp said.
“The other day, this middle school student saw me on my block and asked, ‘Are you picking up trash? Thank you!’”
Yapp said once becoming a Block Ambassador, she seems to notice trash more than she used to. She snatches up a paper cup from a bush and drops it in her bag stating the simple reason why she does it.
“It feels good!”
