Schaefer Rd. in east Dearborn.

DEARBORN – This week, the city announced a clean up initiative that has been in full swing all summer long in an attempt to remove litter from the streets.

Residents have expressed concerns in the past that litter has turned many parts of Dearborn into an eyesore. But now, city officials appear to be combating the issue.

Over the summer, city crews have removed more than 600 bags of trash from both the east and west downtown business districts. The efforts were mostly focused on parking lots and storefronts along Michigan Avenue. Those efforts will continue into the fall.

Sanitation Supervisor Sean Adams noted that the city did research on what sections have had the most litter and has used that data to begin applying the work.

Along with cleaning up the Michigan Ave. business districts, the city also has an upcoming project for the Dix-Vernor and Warren Avenue districts.

“Our team has collected data on where the hot spots for litter are,” Adams said. “The next step is to coordinate with the Dearborn Police Department to monitor and ticket litterers in these areas.”

The police department will also enforce the state littering laws, under which violators could receive $500 fines.

The city also partnered with the West Dearborn Downtown Development Authority and the East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority to install litter prevention signs and additional trash receptacles in several city-owned parking lots. Signs that read “put litter in its place” have also been installed to remind residents to use the trash cans.

The city is also making an effort to remind residents to make sure that trash is placed in city-issued trash carts and is bagged and tied. Wind and severe weather can often cause trash to blow out of the carts, causing garbage and debris to spread around the neighborhoods.

Despite the city’s efforts to tackle littering, many feel that local residents will have a hard time kicking the bad habit.

Waleed Nasser, who works at a Marathon gas station in Dearborn, said customers come through all day long and leave behind their trash.

“They come up to the gas station and instead of walking to the garbage cans, they’ll throw bags of fast food under their car and leave,” he said. “I see that all day long at work.”

While many residents are engaging in these types of habits, others are left to deal with the aftermath. Nasser said gas station clerks are unable to keep up with cleaning up the trash throughout the day.

“We have customers complaining all the time, it’s hard to keep up,” Nasser said. “There’s so much trash outside it’s just hard for us to clean after people. The city does a good job of coming and telling us that we have to clean, but the problem is that you have to have someone come do that all day long.”

Local Activist William Ali has organized cleanup initiatives aimed at involving the local youth. Last summer, Ali led an event at Lapeer Park in the southend of the city with the help of local organizations and city officials. Children walked in groups with adults around the neighborhood and cleaned up litter off streets and lawns.

Ali told The Arab American News that the event was so well received that other neighborhoods in the city followed his lead and began doing cleanup initiatives of their own. Ali has already reached out to city officials and local organizations about organizing a fall cleanup event this year.

“We are going to be doing a nice fall cleanup event and I want to promote the importance of keeping the community clean,” Ali said. “This one will be during the school year. Promoting pride and clean up in the community is the way to go. We are aiming to make it even bigger than last time.”

Ali noted that littering among local youth might be a result of their upbringing. He said that embedding them with an anti-littering message at a young age can result in drastic behavioral changes as they get older.

Following the first cleanup event, he noted that some children in the community are now active during their own time in combating litter.

“By working with the kids, we are trying to give them as much responsibility and leadership as possible,” Ali said. “We want them to take charge and take the lead in the future.”

The southend fall cleanup event is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, October 24 at 10 a.m. at Lapeer Park.