LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Mayor Greg Fischer and Public Works Director Vanessa Burns on Monday kicked off the city's new Clean Collaborative initiative that will improve the community's overall cleanliness.

What You Need To Know

  • A significant part of the Clean Collaborative is to assess the level of cleanliness along major arterial roadways.

  • The initiative was launched with $1.5 million in funding from Metro Council 
  • The 13-person crew and their equipment were first deployed in February
  • The crew has cleaned 376 curb miles and collected 2,200 bags, removing 96 tons of litter from Metro’s roadways

“Having clean streets, sidewalks and parks sends a message that this is a city that takes pride in itself, where people take pride in and care about their hometown,” Fischer said in a news release. “For our economy and for ourselves and each other, it makes life here better when our streets are cleaner.”

A significant part of the Clean Collaborative is to assess the level of cleanliness along major arterial roadways, officials said. 

It was launched with $1.5 million in funding from Metro Council to increase staffing and purchase equipment for cleanups, street sweeping, graffiti removal and vacant lots mowing, officials said. 

Assessments began in February and will continue throughout the initiative, officials said in a news release. Cleanliness scores can be found on the Cleanliness Assessment Map. Blue lines indicate routes that will be assessed in the future.

Burns urged residents to do their part to make the city cleaner.

“The proudest as a resident I have ever been was the Muhammad Ali cleanup in 2016. Everyone pitched in and made Louisville shine. Let’s all do our part and have that same sense of pride by participating in cleanliness efforts, whether it is in front of your house, a business or an alley,” Burns said.

The 13-person crew and their equipment were first deployed in February and so far have cleaned 376 curb miles and collected 2,200 bags, removing 96 tons of litter from Metro’s roadways, according to a news release.

The collaborative brings together stakeholders from across Louisville Metro to coordinate and maximize cleaning efforts. These stakeholders include:

  • Louisville Metro Public Works & Assets, which has worked on many cleanliness efforts such as urban and suburban street sweeping, litter hot spot cleanings, homeless camp cleanings, and more.
  • Brightside and its volunteer community cleanups and anti-litter messaging.
  • Louisville Downtown Partnership, which assists in maintaining the cleanliness in the downtown area.
  • Louisville Metro Codes & Regulations and its Vacant Lots Team.
  • Louisville Waste Management District, which annually receives $380,000 in grant funding to provide extra litter collection along the interstates during the winter, inmate litter collection programs, supplies for litter cleanup events, and anti-litter education through Brightside.

City official said there are several ways residents can get involved in the cleanliness effort:

  • Choose not to litter and make a commitment to always dispose of trash properly.
  • Understand litter laws in Louisville and pick up litter when it’s spotted.
  • Report a someone who is littering online.
  • Organize a neighborhood cleanup with Brightside.
  • Only set out junk or bulk items during its scheduled set-out period.

“I ask everyone to do what they can to help make our Clean Collaborative team’s jobs a little easier by throwing your trash away and keeping it off our streets,” Fischer said.

Officials also encouraged residents to track the crew’s progress by visiting a new interactive online dashboard. The dashboard is updated daily and shows data on curb miles cleaned, tires collected, total bags of litter and other items collected, and additional cleanliness activities, according to the news release.

 

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