From an app that lets you track the trash you pick up to our first public cleanup event since before COVID-19, Wake County is making it fun and easy to clean up our community this month.

“We’re piggybacking on the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Fall Litter Sweep, which runs through Sept. 25,” said Bianca Howard, solid waste outreach and marketing supervisor. “With the weather beginning to cool off, September is a beautiful time of year to get outdoors and beautify our area.”

The easiest way to get involved is to open your smartphone and download the Litterati app and sign up for the Clean Up Wake County Challenge using the code CLEANWAKE.

When you’re ready to pick up trash, simply use the app to snap a picture of each item you pick up. Litterati will process the photo using artificial intelligence and GPS data to track the types and locations of litter you collect.

Want to learn how to use the Litterati app from the experts at Wake County Solid Waste? Swing by one of our upcoming events at waste and recycling convenience centers around the county. Staff will also provide bags for collecting trash in your car, guides to recycling in Wake County and offer tips for securing loads to keep pieces from coming free and ending up on the roadside.

Here are the dates and locations:

• Monday, Sept. 20, 10 a.m. to noon
  Convenience Center 7
  9029 Deponie Drive, Raleigh
• Tuesday, Sept. 21, noon to 2 p.m.
  Convenience Center 8
  2001 Durham Road, Wake Forest
• Monday, Sept. 27, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  Convenience Center 10
  5216 Knightdale-Eagle Rock Road, Knightdale
• Tuesday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m. to noon
  Convenience Center 11
  5051 Wendell Blvd., Wendell
   

Pick Up the Trails at the 86it Fall Cleanup Event
Want to get together with other people passionate about cleaning up our county’s open spaces? Join us for the 86it Fall Cleanup Event from 9–11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, at the Neuse River Greenway Trail entrance at 6602 Poole Road in Raleigh.

“This is our first community event in more than a year and half since the COVID-19 pandemic started,” said Chelsea Arey, who leads the 86it litter cleanup program. “We are so excited to finally get back out there and make a difference on our trails.”

In order to ensure we have enough litter collection kits on hand, volunteers need to register ahead of time at 86it.com/cleanup-registration.