Earlier this month, members of the Little Rocky Run community noticed increased trash on the roads and sidewalks. Once residents noticed raccoons were eating litter in parks, the neighborhood decided to finally take action.

After talking to many community members, I found that most of them do not recycle or even own a recycling bin. Furthermore, in 2019, a law was passed that prohibited Little Rocky Run from recycling glass bottles which discouraged recycling even more. This caused many people to send frustrated emails to the LRR HOA because they have to pay for trash and recycling to be picked up. Some neighbors took matters into their own hands and hosted park clean-ups.

A few weeks later, the HOA placed hundreds of biodegradable recycling bins in the parking lot next to the LRR Recreation Center as well as in front of people’s houses in the townhome community. Giving free recycling bins to the community would help encourage recycling and eventually decrease the litter in the environment.

While it has only been a week, the neighborhood has seen drastic improvements in the community. There is less trash on the streets and this event has caused some high schoolers to take on recycling initiatives to make the Clifton community a better place.