Starting Saturday, Lincoln Hill is going to look just a bit cleaner. Local resident Isaac Williams is hosting a neighborhood clean-up this weekend to deal with the increased about of trash on the streets. Williams has lived in the area since 2019 and said the amount of trash gets worse by the day.
“This is the absolute worst I’ve ever seen it due to late pick-ups and trash getting blown out of people’s trash cans," Williams said. "Animals (are) getting into late pick ups and recycle bins. They don’t have a cover so the wind can just pick those up and take them.”
Williams said a combination of snow melting and delays in Syracuse’s trash and recycling pick-up has exacerbated the problem.
Williams organized the litter pick up event with the help of his church and other neighbors in the community. He’s expecting more than 15 people to join in Saturday morning’s event. The city will be picking up all trash collected from Williams’ house, so he doesn’t have to dispose of it himself. Williams said picking up litter is one way to show the community that he and other neighbors are willing to help.
“One of the things we want to do is reach out to the community," Williams said. "This is just a small way of showing, like, you know, we care about the way things are here. We’re not alone."
This is the first time Williams is holding a community clean-up, but he’s hoping to host other similar events in different Syracuse neighborhoods in the future. Williams said it is the job of local residents to take care of their neighborhood together.
"There's people here to help," Williams said. "And that’s really, really the mission here, just show that the city doesn’t have to do everything. This is stuff neighbors can do.”
This weekend’s clean-up will run from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, March 19. Williams said his home at 300 Shuart Avenue will serve as the headquarters for the morning.
