Sweet Home and Lebanon got 600 pounds lighter after community members picked up trash in the two cities on Saturday, Feb. 22.
Organized by employees at Going Green, this weekend’s cleanup was their seventh time clearing out trash since March 2024. This was the first time the crew began expanding to include communities outside Sweet Home.
“If we just sweeten each other’s spaces, then we’ll all have better places to hang out,” said Going Green’s Hollie Stephenson, who originated the project. “We all love being outdoors, and the worst thing is to come upon a place where you can’t access because there’s trash there, and dangerous trash (such as needles, alcohol, glass, poop in diapers, used sanitary pads and condoms).”
When asked why she was out picking up trash off the berm near the west entrance to Sweet Home on that day, Jennifer Gaspar said, “As I like to tell my kids, if you don’t clean it up, nobody else will.”
Dustin Pomeroy said he wanted to contribute to the community by helping to keep it clean.
“I got a little one growing up in this town and I want him to also love the experience of keeping everything clean,” Pomeroy added, while watching his little boy play on the berm and pick up the occasional piece of litter.
The first six cleanups made Sweet Home more than 1,400 pounds lighter after Going Green employees and other community volunteers picked up trash out of the city’s waterways, roadsides and lake.
“This year we’re hoping to double that trash amount, if it’s out there to find,” Stephenson said.
She believes it will be a reachable goal, especially since they’re also beginning to look into trash cleanups in surrounding communities.
“We always wanted to do more with the community and just be a positive presence because a lot of people were kind of nervous about us being in town in the first place,” Stephenson said. “So we’ve been looking for ways to help serve.”
After trying out some ideas, it was the trash cleanup projects that really flourished.
Stephenson’s family likes to go on hikes everywhere and they hated seeing all the trash. Now a year into doing regular cleanups, even her kids are prepared with witty slogans.
“Trash is dumb,” said 6-year-old Teddy Stephenson.
His sister, Cassie Stephenson, 10, added, “We’re making all the sweet spots of Sweet Home sweet again.”