The University of Wyoming women’s rugby club team kicks off Laramie Community Clean-up Days at Spring Creek on April 20, 2024, which was also Earth Day.
The University of Wyoming women’s rugby club team spreads out around the neighborhood near Spring Creek to pick up trash on April 20, 2024, during Laramie Community Clean-up Days.
The University of Wyoming women’s rugby club team kicks off Laramie Community Clean-up Days at Spring Creek on April 20, 2024, which was also Earth Day.
Shelby Kennedy/courtesy
The University of Wyoming women’s rugby club team spreads out around the neighborhood near Spring Creek to pick up trash on April 20, 2024, during Laramie Community Clean-up Days.
Every year, after winter has come and mostly gone, trash is blown around by the Wyoming spring wind and comes to a rest everywhere around in Laramie.
To celebrate a national volunteer week, the city began its annual Laramie Community Clean-up Days with the University of Wyoming women’s rugby club team on April 20. The event is continuing until May 7.
“The event has been going on for many years,” said Ramon Sandoval, city code enforcement inspector. “At the first one we had 50-60 participants and that was only for one day, but that number kept growing every year, so we extended it out. We try to kick it off right around Earth Day, which is still before UW graduation, so that way if the weather is bad we can still reschedule.”
The event began in 2002 when city staff noticed an increase of trash laying around and wanted to clean up the high-visibility areas such as the city gateways, truck stops and highway entrances and exits. In previous years, the city would designate a few locations for volunteers to pick up.
This year, the city designated more than 30 locations that are also high-visibility or have quite a bit of trash. Volunteers can also choose other areas they wish to clean by coordinating with the City Code Enforcement Office for trash bag pick-up.
“This is important to the community because you want to be proud of where you live,” Sandoval said. “When you live in a place that is covered in trash it is hard to be proud of it. So getting out there and picking up makes a big difference.”
City staff will collect filled trash bags after volunteers are finished cleaning. Locations are located across the city including: Spring Creek, downtown Laramie, city parks, and many of the exit ramps coming into town. Trash bags and safety vests are available for volunteers upon request.
Volunteers are asked to visit volunteer.cityoflaramie.org or call Sandoval at 307-721-5285 to sign-up for a location and time to clean.
The city also will host a raffle drawing for gift cards accepted by downtown Laramie businesses, to be awarded to volunteers who have signed up for a clean-up day before 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 7.
“Just because it’s cleanup day doesn’t mean that it’s the only time that you can volunteer,” Sandoval said. “We are open year-round. If you have a weekend that you want to do, you can reach out to set up a day for you or your group to do it.”
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