Community group helping pick up trash
CASA GRANDE - The Pinal County Attorney's Office would like to extend a special thank you to community members who are going above and beyond to pitch in and pick up trash in their neighborhoods.
One such group is located in Casa Grande.
"This is our town," said resident Megan Sanders. "We should take pride in it."
Sanders helped start a grassroots group that organizes a community cleanup every few weeks around Casa Grande. The group, titled Rooster Club Desert Clean-Up, decides what locations to target and consists of more than 200 members, and counting, who have joined their Facebook page.
"It was, 'it needs to get done and if no one else is going to do it, we're going to step up and do it," Sanders said of the initiative to begin the cleanups.
The group's latest cleanup occurred this past Saturday, at the intersection of McCartney Road and Pinal Avenue in Casa Grande.
"A lot of us that have founded the group are the ones who have bought trash bags," Sanders said. "We've paid for dump fees."
Sanders' son Brody, 12, also takes part in the cleanup effort.
"It's been really fun," Brody Sanders said. "It's a good way to bring the community together."
As you might imagine, the group comes across all sorts of trash and improperly disposed of items during their cleanups.
"Mattresses, shelving...couches," Sanders said. "Pillows, trash, stacks of bills that should be shredded."
That's not all.
"We found a whole entire boat," Brody Sanders said.
That brought about a little laugh.
"Yeah, there was a boat," Megan Sanders said.
The group is planning another community cleanup in September, although the exact location is yet to be determined. They are looking for others to join, and have seen increased interest as their effort grows and after they were recently featured in a local news story. They hope to continue making a difference while also encouraging those who are dumping the trash and debris to stop.
"We as adults can do better," Sanders said. "Ultimately, that's what I hope, is that if we each do a little bit better, there will be less and less trash."
Pinal County is actively working to ensure residents have adequate information on how - and where - to properly dispose of items. Pinal County is also working to enhance measures to target offenders. Additional information and resources will be rolling out in the coming weeks to further address the issue.
