On some Saturday mornings, you might notice a group of Chicagoans picking up trash in your neighborhood.
"Typically the way these things go is that we get our neighbors together, pick up some trash, they get to meet each other, sort of form some stronger bonds," said Edie Guerra-Tejo.
He is the Logan Square lead for Trash People, a nonprofit organization aimed at building community through helping make Chicago's neighborhoods cleaner.
The group operates in Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Hyde Park, Pilsen, Ravenswood, Lakeview, West Town, Uptown and McKinley Park. It has hosted more than 130 cleanups since it was founded by Penny Gibbons in 2022.
Carolina Garibay
Gibbons, who moved to Chicago from the U.K. in 2015, said Trash People was born out of a need for community post-pandemic.
"I was incredibly sad and lonely, and I really wanted to meet other people that shared my values," she said. "I figured the kind of person that I wanted to be friends with was the kind of person that would pick up trash with strangers on a Saturday morning."
She said the act of picking up trash is more of a bridge to bring strangers together.
"Even though the activity is environmental in nature, it really is more about community building and personal well-being in terms of helping people find that connection to that community," she said.
Trash People has "powered over 10,000 volunteer hours spent cleaning up Chicago neighborhoods." Gibbons said the cleanups regularly reach capacity, which is about 50 people.
"We'll often have a waitlist of 20 or 30 people above that," she said. "I think that's just a testament to show how fun and enjoyable it is to hang out with your neighbors and do something good."
Carolina Garibay
The group also often partners with other community organizations and hosts a volunteer fair that "highlights opportunities to get involved with many of the other incredible organizations doing great work in the city."
Besides the direct impact the cleanups have on communities, Guerra-Tejo said they also make an indirect impact on people's lives at the individual level.
"A lot of folks that come out with us will then say, 'Oh, I saw the cigarette butts on the floor, and now I can't unsee them,'" he said. "I think there are people that know others that maybe aren't as environmentally conscious and they can kind of shift their perspectives or shift their attitudes a little bit," he said.
But Gibbons said ultimately, Trash People is about strengthening community and giving people hope that there are more friendships to be made.
"In a world that really makes us very individualized and can make it very difficult to find friendships, it's been a real joy to bring people together for these relationships," she said.
