On Friday, January 15, Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller – flanked by Commissioners, representatives from Keep-Macon Bibb Beautiful (KMBB), residents of the Historic Pleasant Hill Neighborhood, and crews from the Public Works, Solid Waste, and Parks & Beautification Department – announced Clean Streets Matter, and after one week, tens of thousands of pounds of debris have been removed from the streets and more than a dozen neighborhood cleanups are being planned.  

“It’s only been a week and our crews and community have truly stepped up and taken this initiative to heart with more than a dozen neighborhood cleanups being planned, nearly 100 service requests filled, and tens of thousands of pounds of litter and debris removed from our streets,” says Mayor Miller. “If we can do this in a week, imagine what we can do in two weeks, three weeks, and the next several months!”

In the first week of Clean Streets Matter, 91 service requests were closed, 62 were opened, and 249 remain to be addressed. By cleaning up 16 illegal dumps, 43.50 tons (87,000 pounds) of trash, furniture, appliances, and more were removed from the streets, curbs, and rights of way. Additionally, approximately 100 cubic yards of yard waste and downed trees removal.

These focused cleanups were done while the departments continued their normal daily efforts, including collecting 68.8 tons of yard and bulky waste along the daily routes, filling 158 potholes, helping begin the Poplar Street Park improvement project, improving a rose garden at Rose Hill Cemetery, installing speed limit signs in Amerson River Park, and more. 

“I want to thank our crews for using the available service request data to better clean larger areas of neighborhoods rather than spot by spot,” added Mayor Miller. “Our people see the need to bring all our effort and resources to bear in a more focused way to truly make a difference in people’s lives, and I can’t wait to see how much of an impact they have by continuing this effort.” 

The goal of this initiative is to more effectively identify and clean up illegal dumps, piles of waste and debris, dead animals, downed trees, eviction material and more, as well as to engage residents to host neighborhood cleanups. A website has been launched to show people a map of open and closed issues, and to provide them a way to request other services. Click here to view the interactive map and report issues not already on it.

“Focusing Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful’s efforts on engaging, encouraging, and supporting our neighborhoods with their cleanups has been our primary focus recently, and we’ve been so proud of people that, with the launch of Clean Streets Matter, they’ve come forward to try and organize one or ask how they can help one already happening,” says KMBB Executive Director Caroline Childs.

Once an area has been cleaned, Macon-Bibb County needs the community’s assistance in keeping it that way by reporting areas of concern, reporting people and companies illegally dumping trash, and holding neighborhood cleanups. To report areas that need to be cleaned, click here, and to report someone dumping trash on the street, call 478-751-7500. 

To hold a cleanup and receive support like pickers, bags, and maybe a dumpster, people can register through KMBB by clicking here. Since announcing Clean Streets Matter, four clean-ups have been scheduled and nine more are being planned. See below for a list of dates and areas and contact KMBB at NUMBER for information on how you can help them.

“It doesn’t take much for each of us to pick up a few pieces of trash, and if we work together as neighbors and neighborhoods, we can help keep our streets clean and let Macon-Bibb’s crews focus on the bigger issues,” says Mrs. Childs. 

Two cleanups were held by the Beall’s Hill Neighborhood Association and the InTown Macon Neighborhood Association over the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Weekend, though they had been planned before the initiative was announced. 

“This isn’t about which person, group, association, or crew gets credit for making something happen…this is about making something happen,” says Mayor Miller. “It’s about leading by example and showing that, with just a little bit of coordination and communication, we can make a difference in our community.”