April is Earth Month!
Here’s what NDOT is doing to keep Nashville beautiful and clean and how you can get involved!
By Sissy Muro Juarez
Litter in the right-of-way is a big problem in Nashville. The Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) and Metro Beautification and Environment Commission (MBEC) are committed to resolving the litter issues residents are experiencing in their communities by deploying NDOT maintenance crews and court ordered community service crews to problem areas identified through hubNashville reports. NDOT staff also work to educate the Nashville community about how to prevent litter and keep streets, sidewalks, bikeways, waterways, and all right-of-way clean.
NDOT’s maintenance crews regularly collect litter and clean illegal dumping sites in the Metro right-of-way across the county. So far this year crews have collected 183.59 tons of litter over 6003.84 lane miles. In the month of March, crews collected 57.3 tons of litter over 2555.04 lane miles.
Residents are encouraged to report litter issues through hubNashville online at hub.Nashville.gov (24/7), via the hubNashville mobile app (24/7), or by calling 311 (Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
Neighborhood Cleanups: NDOT and MBEC also facilitate neighborhood clean-ups year-round. Residents can register their neighborhood clean-up online at StopLitter.Nashville.gov and NDOT/MBEC will provide free supplies (bags, gloves, vests, etc.) to the organizer. In the month of March, there were 28 volunteer cleanups conducted, with 481 volunteers, logging 1,400 hours. These cleanups resulted in over 13 tons of debris and litter collected off Nashville’s streets.
Adopt-A-Street Program: The Adopt-A-Street program is a great way that faith communities, businesses, neighborhood groups, families, and individuals can help keep Nashville beautiful. It provides a way to show pride in your community! There are currently 114 active Adopt-A-Street partners in the program. NDOT plans to continue to promote and grow this program. Residents can apply to become an Adopt-A-Street partner online at AdoptAStreet.Nashville.gov.
Student Community Service Program: NDOT continues to offer the Student Community Service Program in collaboration with Metro Schools. This program will allow high school aged students to complete four hours of community service every Saturday, beginning April 30 through the spring and summer months. It is a great way for the youth to give back to the community while learning the importance of keeping our streets litter free. Registration is required, visit StopLitter.Nashville.gov for more information.
The Great American Cleanup: The Keep America Beautiful – Great American Cleanup event which runs from March 21 through June 22. Nashville is proud to be an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful Inc. Currently, NDOT has a total of 23 cleanup events scheduled during the Great American Cleanup. The department has set a goal to have at least 1 cleanup in each Metro Council district by the end of the Great American Cleanup event on June 22.
To join our local efforts, visit StopLitter.Nashville.gov to get involved and register your next cleanup!
Nashville Earth Day: NDOT is excited to announce that we will be participating in this year’s Nashville Earth Day at Centennial Park on Saturday, April 22!
Stop by our booth to learn more about how you can get involved in your community!
Learn more about Earth Day: https://www.nashvilleearthday.org/?fbclid=IwAR0x8PII964dnIOImAkqScOP8qb_cgHQG6dpN3VO99ufRKufyCtEcolwHDI
Sissy Muro Juarez is the Social Media & Content Strategist for Nashville DOT. She can be reached at sissy.murojuarez@nashville.gov.