Different Litter. Different Chalenges. One Shared Goal.

There are so many ways people are stepping up to care for Seattle.

I recently came across a video from We Heart Seattle showing volunteers helping clean up discarded needles, foil and other drug-related debris from our streets. It is difficult work, and I have tremendous respect for people willing to take on some of the toughest cleanup challenges our city faces.

It also reminded me of something important:

Not every piece of litter is the same.

Pick It Up Seattle was created around a very simple idea — when you see ordinary litter, pick up a piece and leave that place a little better than you found it.

A cup. A wrapper. A bottle. A piece of paper blowing down the sidewalk.

Other types of debris can present additional risks and may require specialized equipment, training or disposal procedures. Knowing the difference is part of taking care of ourselves while we take care of our city.

The wonderful thing is that there is room for all of us.

Some people are willing and equipped to tackle the difficult cleanup work shown in this video. Others may pick up the coffee cup beside a park bench, remove trash from a neighborhood sidewalk or spend an afternoon cleaning up a block.

Every one of those actions matters.

We don’t all have to do the same thing. We just have to be willing to do something.

Watch the original We Heart Seattle video on Nextdoor: https://nextdoor.com/p/C_rRKYjdrnZY

Thank you to We Heart Seattle and to everyone who is willing to roll up their sleeves and help make our city a little cleaner, safer and better.

One person. One piece. One better Seattle.