Community Cleanup Challenge Toolkit
This Community Cleanup Challenge Toolkit provides resources to assist local and regional governments, nonprofit organizations, and other entities interested in hosting litter cleanup events. While these resources are designed for a competition-style cleanup, many of them are helpful for planning and implementing standard litter cleanup activities.
Litter is a major problem, and litter cleanup is a major expense for local governments each year. Volunteer litter cleanup events can help combat the problem, and there are many strategies organizers can use to amplify the impact of the events. Strategies include collaboration with other groups (resource sharing) and generating a fun competition through Community Cleanup Challenges.
Community Cleanup Challenges allow groups to pool promotional materials like other larger events, with the added benefit of enticing volunteers with fun, friendly competition, local rivalries, and potential bragging rights.
Community Cleanup Challenges can be scaled to fit your organization’s capabilities and goals and can easily leverage other similar events. This toolkit highlights this flexibility by providing resources tailored to both Regional Community Cleanup Challenges and Local Community Cleanup Challenges.
Regional Community Cleanup Challenges are competitions hosted by regional entities or nonprofit organizations encouraging the participation of many cities within a geographic region; often have a long time-frame in which to compete; and occasionally are framed as or have the option to include a “Mayor’s Challenge.”
Local Community Cleanup Challenges are smaller scale than the regional events, organized by two or more communities, and often take place on a single day.
Whether you are looking to plan and implement a Regional Community Cleanup Challenge or Local Community Cleanup Challenge, take a look at the available resources below. In most cases, resources are downloadable and editable for your specific needs and branding and are organized into six categories:
*Please be aware that the drop-down menus below will automatically collapse after a selection is made. To avoid collapsing, right click on a link within the drop-down and select “Open in a new tab (or window).”
Promoting Your Event
There are countless ways to promote your cleanup event. The methods you choose will be determined by the audience you want to reach, your budget, and the platforms you have available. Examples of some of the more common (and budget-friendly) promotional tools are included in this section. If your Challenge is part of a larger event, check their website for any resources they have developed.
Helpful Resources:
• City of Mansfield's Facebook video by Mayor Michael Evans
• City of Mansfield's 2021 Fall Sweep Litter Challenge
• Example Cleanup Challenge Facebook Covers (Eng/Span)
• Example Cleanup Challenge Facebook Posts (Eng/Span)
• Example Cleanup Challenge Instagram Posts (Eng/Span)
• Sample Facebook Event Language
• Sample Social Media Post Language (Eng/Span)
• Sample Mayors Proclamation - Regional Challenge
• Sample Press Release - Community Challenge (Eng/Span)
• Sample Press Release - Regional Challenge (Eng/Span)
• Sample Community Cleanup Challenge Example and Editable Flyers (Eng/Span)
• Sample Regional Cleanup Challenge City Example and Editable Flyers (Eng/Span)
• Sample Regional Cleanup Challenge Example and Editable Flyers (Eng/Span)
In addition to the resources above, there are several digital tools, with both free and paid options, that can enhance your promotional efforts. The listing of the resources below does not constitute an endorsement of any particular tool, but instead encourages you to investigate what tools are available to you.
• Canva is an online program that includes templates for flyers, social media graphics, and more.
• An email marketing software such as Mailchimp, ConstantContact, or MyEmma can help you organize contacts and create and send customized emails.
• For larger annual events a custom website, might also be a tool to consider. Some website building platforms include WiX, Weebly, GoDaddy, Mailchimp, and more.
In the age of smartphones, adding Quick Response (QR) codes to promotional materials can also help potential volunteers easily access your website, social media account, or even a document. A quick google search will provide more information and several resources to help create QR codes or your use.
To post videos of your Challenge, like the examples above, there are also many platforms to choose from. You can post a video on your Facebook page or Facebook Watch, or doing a Facebook Live video. You can also post videos on your Instagram account, and often you can link Facebook and Instagram. YouTube and Vimeo also allow you to post videos to your account - and if you host the video on those platforms you can get a link to post the videos to social media or embed them on your website.
Hosting Your Event
When the day of your cleanup arrives, a little planning and other resources can help the event run smoothly. A day-of planning checklist and examples of other resources can be found here.
Helpful Resources:
• Community Cleanup Event Day of Checklist
• Example Certificate (Eng/Span)
• Sample Sign In Sheet (Eng/Span)
• Sample Volunteer Safety Sheet (Eng/Span)
• Example Registration Waiver Form (Eng/Span)
Event Results
It is important to decide on the metrics and methods used to decide the winners of the Challenge and make sure all participants understand them. Some example data forms and scorecards can be found below:
• Sample Community Challenge Scorecard
• Sample Regional Challenge Scorecard
• STOP Data Sheet
The Texas Litter Database launched in 2021 and collects litter cleanup data from across the state. The platform allows you to enter data collected using various collection methods and to retrieve and analyze data from across the state. A field data form is available on the website, and you can add your cleanup events in advance so that you can enter data afterwards or allow participants to report directly to that event with a QR code.
Finding Partners and Leveraging Events
Any kind of collaborative event, including a Cleanup Challenge, requires partners. Don’t limit partners to just one kind of role or organization – partners can compete in the Challenge, help you staff or enhance your cleanup event, or even sponsor your efforts; and they can come from a variety of backgrounds including Keep Texas Beautiful affiliates, nonprofit organizations, local government, local businesses or industry, and even specific companies like waste hauling services.
You can also leverage other events to help get access to physical and promotional supplies, increase the volunteer appeal, or just check two boxes with one event. If leveraging another event, it is always important to check their requirements for participation, promotion, etc.
Some examples of regional, state, national, and international events you might be able to leverage include:
• The River, Lakes, Bays 'N Bayours Trash Bash®
• The Don't mess with Texas Trash-Off®
• The Keep Texas Beautiful Fall Sweep
• Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup
• The international World Oceans Day
• The concurrent National Cleanup Day/World Cleanup Day
Highlighting Success and Making Traditions
After the Challenge make sure to share the results so participants know the winner and the total impact they had on trash in the different communities. If you collected participant emails, you can share results in an email or newsletter, but consider also sharing results on a public platform, such as on social media or in a press release to reach more people who might be interested in participating in the next event. If you plan on making the event annual, you can also encourage people to save the date for the next event when you report the results.
Helpful Resources:
• Sample Press Release - Post Event Community Challenge (Eng/Span)
• Sample Press Release - Post Regional Event (Eng/Span)
Competitive events can be more compelling with a trophy for the winner. If your Challenge will hand out a trophy, plaque, medal, etc., consider if the awards will be new each year or if it will be “traveling trophy” that is transferred to the new winner each year such as with the North Texas Community Cleanup Challenge.
Community Cleanup Challenge Follow-Up Survey
The purpose of this survey is to collect feedback from communities who have either 1) participated in the North Texas Community Cleanup Challenge or 2) used the resources in the Community Cleanup Challenge toolkit located on the Trash Free Texas website.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments received funding from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to develop this toolkit, which was completed through a partnership with the Houston-Galveston Area Council and Texas State University.