INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — A woman who lives blocks from one of the city’s largest tourist attractions says she is struggling to keep up with large amounts of trash dumped in her neighborhood.
Jowanna Peterson volunteers to pick up trash at the IndyGo stop near her home and on her block, as an Adopt-A-Block captain with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful.
“I’m there two or three times a week trying to clean it up, but it’s getting to be quite a big job for me,” Peterson said.
Peterson lives within walking distance to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and said she is especially frustrated by all the littering and dumping going on near such a big attraction.
“People come from all over the world to see this beautiful, spectacular museum and it’s just kind of embarrassing to (look at) what they have to see when they come,” Peterson said.
Peterson pointed to a growing number of abandoned homes and renters in the area as one reason the problem has increased. She said that while she used to have neighbors who would help her clean up, now she mostly works alone.
“It needs to be maintained and people just need to realize that this is not a place to dump their trash,” Peterson said.
Abby Dennis, Director of Volunteers for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, said more volunteers like Peterson are needed to clean up their neighborhoods around the city.
“The more that you can just get out and show people how easy it is to pick up trash and make that a part of your daily life, the easier it is for folks to join you in that,” Dennis said.
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful will provide free materials for clean up, including litter grabbers, buckets, trash bags, and gloves. They also help organize large weekend clean ups and the annual Great Indy Cleanup every April.
Peterson hopes to get volunteers to help in her neighborhood, not only this April but also throughout the year.
“We need to do a lot better,” Peterson said.
For more information about volunteering for a cleanup event or becoming a block captain in your own neighborhood, go to the Keep Indianapolis Beautiful link here.
