Photo by Neighborhoods.com

On Saturday, September 10th, a group of Neighborhoods.com employees (and even some of their kids) met at Logan Square's Monument Park for its first neighborhood cleanup effort. Despite the drizzle, spirits were high and the turnout (14) was pretty respectable for 10 a.m. on a Saturday. Armed with gloves and grabber sticks, the crew began clearing piles of trash and debris that blanketed the grounds. The team encountered some bizarre objects, including an intact pair of pants in a small crabapple tree (good find by our CEO). But the most interesting find of the day was an entire car door. That's right: a car door.

We worked our way from the monument area to Milwaukee Avenue where we split up and covered portions of Kimball and Fullerton. While planning this project, some of us were skeptical there would actually be enough litter on these streets to keep our team busy. That skepticism was immediately lost amongst the heaps of garbage. The decaying Mega Mall on Milwaukee Avenue alone could have fed our trash bags for months. The more we looked, the more we found.

Photo by Neighborhoods.com

Much can be learned about an area by its trash. What we learned about Logan Square is that the ground is often mistaken for a cigarette butt repository and cornhusks aren't as biodegradable as you might think. Also, one can lose a single shoe and apparently continue on without it. This is not to disparage Logan residents, because we also learned a lot about their gratitude. As we were working our way up and down the sidewalks of Milwaukee, we heard many words of gratitude from passersby. Some even inquired about joining in on future cleanup efforts. While seeing streets littered with trash may be disheartening, it is uplifting to know that there are always people who are willing to pitch in and work towards a greater good.

After a few hours and a dumpster load of trash, Logan shined a bit brighter as the sun came out from behind the gray clouds. The first of many neighborhoods.com cleanup efforts was a success. With eyes set on Washington Park, neighborhoods.com continues forward with the aims of making neighborhoods better everyday.

For more information about Neighborhoods.com's cleanup efforts and how to get involved checkout our Facebook page.