Nobody wants to do Spring Cleaning, but everything indoors could use a good dusting, mopping, and scrubbing after the long winter months.  Maybe once you’re finished with your own house, you’d like to clean up your street. How about your neighborhood?  The local park?  Your town?  The rivers and streams that provide water to your area?  NorthDelaWHEREHappening says yes, Yes, YES!!!  Lend a hand and help make Delaware the cleanest state on the Eastern seaboard.  Here’s a list of places where you can volunteer in Community Spring Cleanups!

City of Wilmington

Cleanup Wilmington 2016

The City of Wilmington is proud to announce the sixth annual Community Cleanup Day on Saturday, April 30th from 9 a.m. to noon!  Make project plans to join with neighbors and communities across the city do your part in our work to beautify Wilmington for spring and year-round.  Community Cleanup Day is a day of volunteer service during which Wilmington residents are encouraged to demonstrate their community spirit by organizing activities that improve their neighborhoods in some way.  Last year, more than 70 community groups, churches, businesses, schools, and other non-profit organizations came together on Community Cleanup Day to make neighborhoods look more beautiful and make life better for people and organizations in need of assistance.  Past CCD activities included litter removal, beautification projects, landscaping maintenance, and community garden projects.  By using the hashtag #CleanWilmington365, participants can share their before and after project photos on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.  Visit the Community Cleanup Day website for more information and to register your cleanup project.  Registraton deadline is Friday, April 22.

The Clean Wilmington Committee can assist your organization in scheduling Community Clean Up Days.  Demonstrate your pride in your community by lending a hand and encouraging your family and neighbors to get involved as well.  Clean neighborhood activities make great projects for school, church, and scout programs or for anyone who wants to pitch in and help their community shine.  To sign up, contact the Public Works Call Center at (302)576-3878.

Adopt-A-BlockThe City of Wilmington has also set up the Adopt-A-Block Program to help make Wilmington a cleaner and more attractive place to live, work, and visit.  Organizations sign up to clean an area of the city at least four times a year — more often, if possible.  Groups work directly with the Department of Public Works on collecting debris and litter gathered during Adopt-a-Block efforts.  Participating organizations are recognized with the placement of a green and white Adopt-a-Block sign placed in the area the group agrees to “adopt.”  The Adopt-a-Block program is looking for citizen, community, or business-based organizations throughout this great City that would like to be part of an effort to clean and beautify Wilmington streets, neighborhoods and communities.

Towns, Parks, & NeighborhoodsNewark Delaware

Rivers, Streams, & Creeks

The New Castle County Department of Special Services will run the Great Schools, Clean Streams pledge drive between April 4th and April 21st!  Here’s how it works: School faculty, students, parents, and other supporters sign a simple online pledge (on the school’s behalf) to dispose of their used cooking oil and grease in the trash.  The schools that collect the most pledges will win cash prizes ranging from $200 to $1,500.  NCCo is sponsoring this contest because keeping used cooking oil out of the county sewer system helps prevent water pollution!

Stream Clean-UpsChristina River Watershed Cleanup 2016

Stream Stewards

Cemeteries and Lots

Friends of Historic Riverview Cemetery want your help on Saturday, April 9th from 9 a.m. to noon.  Volunteers are needed to maintain and beautify the 42-acre cemetery grounds.  Duties include picking up litter and fallen branches plus preparing the four flower gardens by weeding, adding compost, mulching, and planting.

Yard Waste… What To Do With It??Yard Waste

Delaware residents are able to bring yard waste from their own property in non-commercial vehicles to several yard waste drop-off sites.  The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) would like to remind the public that dumping of yard waste at any site’s gate, along roadways, or other property is illegal, and is subject to fines or imprisonment.

Residents wishing for alternatives to recycle their yard waste may manage the material on their own property, arrange for a service, or use a municipal service (like Newark’s).  For everything you might want to know about yard waste management in Delaware, please visit the DNREC Yard Waste site.

What To Do With Hazardous Waste?

DNREC’s Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances has a very informative website which covers properly disposing of potentially hazardous materials listed from A to Z.  Be sure to check the site for your local Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day.

There’s even a Hazardous Waste Helpline at (302)739-9403.

~ Cleanups… Tell Us More! ~

Is there a Community Cleanup you would like to share?  Please add your community cleanup in the “Comments” section and NDH will try our best to promote it.  We all want a clean Delaware!  Thanks!!

Brandywine Park Cleanups

The Friends of Wilmington Parks





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