Today I helped pick up trash on a few blocks around the Haight/Ashbury neighborhood. Some notes:
Event organizer Cassius said: Don't bother picking up trash on Haight itself around here. The merchants' association(?) pays the city for frequent cleanups on Haight Street. Instead, get the side streets.
Eight folks showed up. Organizer, four regulars, three first-timers (including me). We went in pairs.
I heard about the event through Bay Resistance.
I didn't sign up ahead of time; I just showed up. The organization running the event, Refuse Refuse, has a creepy reputation… maybe because their website says things like
Dirty streets and neighborhoods are caused by human behavior and it's up to the individual to prevent it. By educating our people about how our city gets filled with filth and grime, and what steps we can take to combat this, we can fulfill our mission of keeping San Francisco immaculate.
Hoo boy. Cassius didn't seem creepy, but I didn't especially want to get on his boss' radar.
The city provided trash bags. Because Cassius arranged ahead of time, we dropped off our full bags on the corner of Waller/Ashbury and the city picked it all up (I hope). Refuse Refuse loaned out: gloves, trash-picker-grabber-waldo-thingies, stiff plastic rings+binder clips to hold the necks of bags open.
I was paired up with John, who's been doing this for a few years now. He started when he moved here and wanted to meet some people in the neighborhood.
There are at least two orgs who do a monthly Upper Haight trash pickup, Refuse Refuse and Safe & Healthy Haight.
