LITTER CAMPAIGN
cloverdale
Have you seen creek critters like these cleaning up litter in your neighborhood? It’s time to pitch in and help your furry and feathered friends!
E.P.I.C - cloverdale
Every Piece Inspires Change, or E.P.I.C., has come to Cloverdale! Trash in our creeks, rivers, and oceans is a major pollutant of concern for our environment. As our society has grown to utilize more single use plastics such as water bottles, food packaging, grocery bags, etc., we all must do our part to take simple actions which have big impacts in limiting these items from entering our waterways and negatively impacting wildlife which inhabit them.
Within the City of Cloverdale the area of Cloverdale Blvd between Citrus Fair Drive and East 3rd Street has been defined as the area with highest litter concentration. We are launching our EPIC trash campaign to get the community involved in keeping this area litter free! Compounded across approximately 482 cities throughout California, the collective impact of keeping trash out of our creeks will be significant.
Trash and other pollutants are easily transported from streets to creeks by entering the storm drain system through wind or flowing into it when it rains. A problem as big as trash in our creeks needs everyone to step in to find the solution. We welcome you to take that first step towards inspiring change. We invite you to find purpose. We invite you to make an impact.
We invite you to be E.P.I.C!
The Campaign
When – April 22nd, 2025 through July 4th, 2025
Who
The City of Cloverdale is launching an EPIC outreach campaign on Cloverdale Blvd as a low cost alternative for eliminating trash from entering our community storm drains. To be successful, we need help from residents, community groups, and businesses in Cloverdale to join us and take action together to eliminate trash from entering our storm drains and polluting our local waterways, like Cloverdale and Porterfield Creeks! Partners in the area have already joined in to help make Cloverdale EPIC!
What
To build awareness in Cloverdale, images of creek critters, like birds, otters, and squirrels will be installed along Cloverdale Blvd reminding all of us that our streets connect to our creeks. And our creeks are their home! Each critter is holding a piece of refuse identified by a specific color: Blue represents recycling, Green represents compostables, and Pink represents trash! Look for these unique art pieces around the area as you experience Cloverdale. But don’t be siloed into only looking at business windows and trash cans, sometimes the biggest artwork is up high in the sky in other local cities! Come see if you can find all the unique critters throughout the Russian River Watershed!
Public perception is a major part of a trash free community. Studies have shown when an area is clean and litter free, people are less likely to exhibit behaviors which lead to increased trash on streets. Our Earth Day cleanup event is focused on starting with a clean slate in the highest trash areas to inspire community members and visitors to properly dispose of litter. Recology sweeps Cloverdale's main arterial roads and feeders on a rotating schedule every Friday and we will double our sweeping efforts on Cloverdale Blvd during the EPIC campaign.
Removing barriers to put trash in its place is another major step towards a clean community. Cloverdale has 25 trash receptacles throughout the campaign area and we are currently assessing the potential need for more. Our EPIC campaign will encourage community members and visitors to use them!
Where
The EPIC Campaign is a trash reduction pilot program along the section of Cloverdale Blvd between Citrus Fair Drive and East 3rd Street which has been identified as the area with highest litter concentration in Cloverdale.
Why
The effectiveness of the EPIC pilot program will inform and assist the City, businesses, and residences towards future implementation efforts citywide required for compliance of the statewide trash amendment.
In Cloverdale, storm drains are connected directly to creeks, like Cloverdale Creek and Porterfield Creek, which flow untreated on to the Russian River. (Learn about the path from Cloverdale storm drains to the Pacific Ocean.) Due to this direct connection, trash and litter entering a storm drain from private, residential and business properties or public streets can easily impact the health of our waterways. To protect our waterways, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted a statewide provision banning any trash 5mm (the width of a cigarette butt) or larger from entering storm drain by 2030.
Within the City of Cloverdale trash is removed from our creeks throughout the year. Compounded across approximately 482 cities statewide, the collective impact of trash on our environment is significant.
The sewer system and storm drain system are two completely separate networks. The storm drain system allows rainwater during storms to flow directly to the nearest creek or river untreated. Potential pollutants such as trash, oil, soap, sediment, or other contaminants can easily enter our waterways.
If the campaign is effective, it would be a lower cost solution for implementation across the city. And more importantly, it will show how valuable the Cloverdale community is as a clean, trash free area for others to shop, dine, and play!
Campaign Duration
The pilot study will kick off with a community clean-up on Earth Day 2025, April 22nd and will end during the first week of July.
