Clean Prospect Lefferts Gardens.

Volunteering with Community Cleanup PLG has been an incredible way to feel more connected to my neighborhood.

Not only have I met neighbors who similarly love giving back block by block in such an easy, tangible way, I’ve also loved getting a chance to chat with neighbors who walk by and are curious about what we’re doing.

And as an urban planner, I’ve enjoyed the deliberate pace that trash picking requires - it forces me to slow down on a whole other level and really take in the built environment.

My favorite part? Meeting our neighbors.

It’s those relationships that transform the neighborhood we live in into a community that truly feels like home.

In a time when we can easily doom scroll into a state of despair and anxiety, going outside and meeting good people who just want to do a little something for their neighborhood once a week has been salve to the soul.

Trash club is one of those ideas that sounds “idealistic” because you wonder if enough people could be gathered to do it. You have your answer here.

Being in trash club really makes me feel like I’m part of the community and allows me to connect with my neighbors. It feels so good to contribute to the well-being of our neighborhood, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to pitch in 🙂

Community Cleanup has provided an incredible opportunity to make a tangible impact in my neighborhood.

Because of the cleanups I’ve participated in, I’ve gained a greater sense of awareness and responsibility for keeping the streets of PLG a safe and clean space for all neighbors. Not to mention all the lovely folks I’ve met along the way!

I’ve only attended Community Cleanup PLG a few times, but each time I feel bolstered by the people I interact with, and the act of helping to care for our neighborhood.

I’m so grateful for this group and all the work each member contributes!

As a newcomer to Flatbush, it’s important to me that I participate as a neighbor.

I think it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that “making a difference” must be done at a macro level. But it can be as simple as picking up trash - it’s about respecting the neighborhood that I’m moving to, meeting neighbors and deepening connections.

Keeping the sidewalks and streets clear of garbage helps prevent flooding due to blocked storm drains and helps people navigate the sidewalks more easily.

Community Cleanup has been a great way to meet folks that live on my block and in the greater neighborhood, and it’s always uplifting to hear the sincere gratitude of neighbors.

It was through Trash Club that I was able to feel a sense of real community here after having moved to the neighborhood. Picking up trash is the smallest part of it.

I strongly believe in the necessity of built-in social routine; that is part of what defines a community–not one-off events here and there.

The fact this club meets weekly if not two times per week is a true testament to this. And in NYC it’s easy to fall into an exhausting pattern of every social plan requiring coordination.

Routines are really important: I want to be able to regularly be with people I like spending time with, without so much investment in coordination of travel, food, expenses and the like. So yeah… come fiddle around with those trash grabby claws with us!

Joining the weekly neighborhood cleanup has been an incredible way to put down roots in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Beyond keeping our block clean, it has given me a genuine sense of home and a wonderful space to build relationships with my neighbors.

It’s not about the trash being the enemy, it’s the shaming—it’s easy to get angry at people for littering. I channel that urge by doing something about it. One of the first things I tell people is that cleanup happens every weekend, you’re in and out in an hour, that it’s a finite block of time.

Ed. note: Eddie is the neighborhood Trash Ninja.

When I first moved here, I didn’t know anyone and was experiencing depression. I forced myself to return week after week, and thanks to everyone being so open and welcoming I started to be invited to other social clubs (this neighborhood also has a walking club, film club, article club, knitting club, book clubs, and more - just ask at a cleanup!). Things slowly improved, even if I felt awkward at first and wasn’t sure how to contribute or socialize - people were so welcoming.

This community has been integral for me, and even though picking up trash can feel futile, the social zeitgeber it provides is invaluable. A friend shared a zen koan with me, when I told them no matter how hard we try the trash will return again and again: just as in meditation your breath stays with you, the trash returns.

• A monk asks Master Joshu, ‘how can I become enlightened’?
• Master Joshu says ‘Well, have you eaten your gruel?’
• The monk replies, ‘Yes’.
• Master Joshu says ‘And then wash your bowl’.

Apocryphally, the monk becomes enlightened on the spot, as we might hope to in returning time and time again to the rhythmic process of sanitation. We are made of spacedust, as is trash, so we are trash, and as a garbage man all I can say is ‘from trash to trash, dust to dust’.

There’s a reason this trash club is listed on Social Fabric NYC as a ‘portal’ of sorts through which you can become connected to other communities. The vibe: it’s giving deep hanging out; doing the very human thing of ambiguous goal-directed activity; virtue signaling to ourselves and neighbors - which is both necessary and can actually create long term change in society. Fun and meaning-making result, week after week, as faces become familiar and conversations longer. Recommended, would 100% be trashy again in every timeline. These are the kinds of people you want to get uploaded with 🤙

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When so many of the world’s problems feel big and out of control, it’s nice to make what little difference you can for your block.

I love that this group really focuses on building positive relationships and doing what we can. It’s turned the place I live into a neighborhood community!

A fun and easy way to give back to the community, and to meet the friendliest neighbors! I’d recommend everyone to join!!

Community Cleanup is one of those rare activities that connects you with like-minded neighbors, rebuilds your faith in humanity, gives back to this beautiful neighborhood (that’s welcomed a transplant like me!), and nourishes one’s soul.

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