Fort Worth residents are invited to help beautify their city and then celebrate their success with a party afterward at this year’s spring cleanup event.
Keep Fort Worth Beautiful (KFWB) will host the 39th Annual Cowtown Great American Cleanup on March 23, the city announced Wednesday. This event is the city’s largest annual beautification and litter cleanup event.
Fort Worth officials announced last year that it intended to step up its litter control efforts, capitalizing on efforts made in 2023, including the Great American Cleanup and several other initiatives. The city announced that it had succeeded in collecting 19.9 million pounds of trash, surpassing its goal of 11.5 million in 2023, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Volunteers at last year’s Great American Cleanup removed more than 174,000 pounds of trash from city streets and public areas.
This year, volunteers can pick up trash at any public location in the city, such as empty lots, school campuses, natural water sources, and more. They may also participate at any of the preselected hubs, which include Northwest Community Park, Buck Sansom Park, Marion Sansom Park, Panther Island Beach/Pavilion, Carter Park, and McCart Avenue.
Participants are asked to bring their bags of trash to any city drop-off station. Those unable to transport the bags are asked to schedule a pickup with the city’s collection crews.
This cleanup event will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. After the work is done, cleanup volunteers can kick back at an “Earth Party” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Sycamore Park at 2400 East Vickery Blvd.
“The celebration recognizes all the hard work and cleanup efforts performed by KFWB volunteers, not only during Cowtown Cleanup but all year long. Volunteers will be treated to food and drinks, live music and entertainment, animal adoptions, exhibitor promotions, and the annual Trashion Fashion Show,” the city’s website states.
This year’s Trashion Fashion Show will see participants walk across a stage at the celebration with items made from at least 50% trash or recyclables, with prizes being offered to the winners.
Registration for this year’s Cowtown Great American Cleanup event began on February 1, with officials offering the first 4,500 volunteers a free t-shirt. Cleanup supplies will be provided to participants before the event on March 21 and 22. After collecting the trash, participants are asked to report their results via an online form on the city’s website.
Several similar volunteer initiatives have been undertaken in nearby Dallas, such as the Adopt-A-Block program, to clean up the city. In Dallas, the cleanup measures are largely promoted and sponsored by individuals and private organizations. As The Dallas Express previously reported, a City satisfaction survey last year found that Dallasites largely believe the local government does a “poor” job of maintaining the cleanliness of Dallas streets.
