Cali's 30-Day Cleanup

Today was my community event! Even after I put up posters in more than 10 stores, only one person showed up to the event, which just goes to show how much my community cares about the huge amounts of trash in the area. Even so, I know that through my project I opened many eyes to this issue and made a positive impact through my work. I am very grateful for the person that did come to my event, and we filled up three bags of trash!

 Day 21 (Thursday, 5/4): -1 plastic glove -2 cigarettes -1 piece of string -1 piece of insulation -1 small plastic bag -2 small pieces of plastic Day 22 (Friday, 5/5): morning: -2 medium sized plastic bags -1 silicone water bottle -1 mask -1 medium sized piece of cardboard -6 small pieces of plastic -1 granola bar wrapper afternoon: -1 band aid -1 parking ticket -4 pieces of paper -1 small piece of metal Day 23 (Saturday, 5/6): morning: -1 Gatorade bottle -1 aluminum can -1 King County Metro ticket -1 paper towel -1 plastic cup                          -2 granola bar wrappers                          -1 small piece of paper                          -4 small pieces of plastic afternoon: -1 medium sized piece of plastic -2 small pieces of plastic -1 piece of pape...

Day 20 (Wednesday, 5/3): morning: -2 cigarettes -1 bag of dog poop -2 medium sized plastic bags -4 candy wrappers -1 small yellow piece of insulation -1 sticky note -1 ripped up cloth -2 small pieces of paper                                                                                 -3 small pieces of plastic afternoon: -4 candy wrappers -2 bags of candy -5 small pieces of plastic -1 metal rod -3 small pieces of paper Today I also organized a group to help me pick up trash at my school. There was trash everywhere, and we picked up more than I expected. I'm glad I did this, because I have always walked by so much trash at school, without having the right tools to pick it up. 

 Day 19 (Tuesday, 5/2): morning: -2 small pieces of plastic -1 small piece of paper -1 cigarette afternoon: While I was walking back home from my bus stop, I saw an open picture book on the side of the road, which was possibly dropped by a child in a stroller or thrown out of a car window. Surprisingly, this book was in pretty good shape, and I also saw that it belongs to my local library. I took it home, and I'm planning on returning it to the library by the end of my project! Here are the other pieces of trash I picked up.  -1 very large piece of cardboard -1 fully functioning picture book -1 plastic cup -1 plastic bag -4 candy wrappers -1 paper towel -3 small pieces of plastic -2 cigarettes Because I had to fold up the large piece of cardboard and put it in my bag, it was very hard to carry for the rest of the walk. It was a hot day, as well, which made it harder, as well. I also ran into the same person I talked to on Day 9, and she seemed to remember me and asked me about...

 Day 18 (Monday, 5/1): morning: -1 plastic cup -3 pieces of metal -7 small pieces of plastic -3 cigarettes afternoon: -1 small Styrofoam cup -2 cigarettes -2 small pieces of paper Today, I also did some research about where the trash in my community goes, and what happens to it. Questions about the landfill: Where is my local landfill? How far away from me is it? -My local landfill is called the Cedar Hills Landfill. It is in Maple Valley, Washington, which is about 20 miles away from my house. How big is it? What does it look like? -The landfill is 920 acres big, which is about 1.4 square miles. It is the only landfill in King County, and it is filling up fast. In 2019, the date that the landfill would fill up, or the closing date, was in 2028. However, this date was changed to 2040 because now there is a new area to put trash in, and the compact trash is stacked 30 feet higher than it used to be permitted. How long has it been around? -This landfill has been around for ...

I have been picking up trash on a road with a sidewalk on only one side of the street. Because it is a busy street, So far I have stayed on the sidewalk and not picked up trash on the other side of the road. Today, though, I brought my mom with me and we picked up trash on the other side of the road. Here are our findings! Day 17 (Sunday, 4/30): What I collected: -1 gigantic piece of Styrofoam (broken up into 8 large chunks) -1 math assignment -1 school hall pass -1 Styrofoam block -1 plastic glove -3 taillights -2 reflective road markers -5 takeout bags/boxes -10 food wrappers -9-10 cans -8-9 large pieces of paper -2 face masks -15 cigarettes -13 small pieces of paper -1 empty container of marijuana -1 tennis ball, cut in half -2 glass bottles -4 broken pieces of glass -1 broken lighter -17 small pieces of plastic -1 reusable plastic mug -2 plastic straws -1 washcloth <-- This was the piece of math homework I found. I could see all the writing on it. I'm not sure how it got on ...