Urban detrashing tips

Urban cleanups

Your first litter pick up

Start small with an old grocery bag or a bucket. If you have gloves that’s great. If not, old kitchen tongs work well.

What to go for, and why

Plastics: they break down into microplastics, enter waterways/food chains, and can choke pets. Picking up large plastics early prevents them being shredded into many small pieces by lawnmowers or cars.
Glass shards: keep them out of shoes and away from pets; pack shards in a thick container or use other trash as a buffer so they don’t tear bags.
Rusty metal: to reduce tetanus risk.
Sharp metal (nails, wire): in the road, to prevent popped tires. On the sidewalk, to keep people and pets safe.
Food containers / cups: coatings often prevent biodegradation.
Glass bottles: easier to clean up before they’re broken.
Soda cans: satisfying and easy to pick up. They also turn into a mess if a lawnmower runs over them.
Covid masks: they break down slowly; pick them up when possible.
Garbage blocking drains: can cause localized flooding.
Cigarette butts: they leach chemicals; I rarely pick them all up because there are so many but I try to get some of them.

Items I pick up less

Tissues / napkins: break down quickly and add weight.
Cardboard: usually degrades quickly.
Clothes: heavy and often will break down.

Rare items

Needles: if found I keep them in a study container for disposal.
Larger bulky items I generally leave unless in a group with dedicated pickup.

Where the litter is / isn’t

High litter areas

Schools
Abandoned businesses
Bus stops
Construction areas

Low litter areas

Single-family residential away from arterials
Active businesses

Safety tips

When cleaning roadsides, face traffic so you can see vehicles.
For any items in the road, brush them towards the curb before picking them up; watch for parked cars that may move.
Wear gloves and/or use grabbers/tongs.
Stay off private property.
If someone is camping/sleeping, don’t disturb them.

Special case: Seattle

Seattle’s Adopt-a-Street program supplies heavy trash bags, gloves, grabbers, high-visibility vests, and will collect bags left at city trash cans.
Report large dumping sites with Seattle’s “Find It, Fix It” app.

Priorities: remove hate speech and anything affecting safety (e.g., obscured traffic signs) first; directional or cosmetic stickers are lower priority.

The items I’ve used most often:

Glass scraper (the kind with a razor)
Soap, water, scrub brush
Isopropyl alcohol (IPA)
Magic eraser / melamine sponge
Rags

Tried and abandoned:

Multi-purpose cleaner: Rarely more effective than soapy water
Glass cleaner: Rarely more effective than soapy water
Scraper / putty knife: This tends to scratch the underlying surface

New items being tried (2026):

Graffiti safewipes: The adopt-a-street program gave me some. They were fantastic on the first try because they removed graffiti so quickly and easily compared to IPA.

Approach:

Start with the least-damaging method (soapy water, scrubbing) and escalate only if needed.
Test in a small corner before aggressive cleaning; avoid damaging reflective surfaces on traffic signs.
Matte paper stickers: They usually come apart with soapy water and a brush, then I remove the leftover residue with IPA
Shiny stickers, thick paints/sealants: Use a glass scraper carefully (shallow angle, slicing motion, stabilize with both hands, watch for nearby people) and wear gloves.