Trash
Trailblazers is an independent volunteer opportunity in which you can check out a litter clean up kit and volunteer on your own time to pick up litter from any City park. Ann Arbor has 162 parks to choose from, but we also have some recommendations of parks to target below.
- For individuals: check-out supplies for up to 2 weeks at a time.
- For groups: check-out supplies for a single day or weekend.
- Trash Trailblazing season runs March through November.
*If you require service hour verification, we require pictures (you in the park, picking up litter, or the trash and the park in the background) and a completed record-keeping sheet, which we provide. We may verify up to 20 hours of independent litter pick-up with the appropriate documentation.
Getting Started
To get started, fill our our GIVE 365 volunteer registration form. Next, contact us at [email protected] or 734-794-6445 to coordinate a pick-up date and time at our offices at 1519 Fuller Road. Please find all program details below:
Popular parks where you can make the biggest impact:
South Maple Park, Bandemer Park, Buhr Park, Gallup Park, Island Park, Mary Beth Doyle Park, Veterans Memorial Park, West Park
Above and Beyond
To go above and beyond with this activity, check out these litter reporting and tracking sites and their apps to document your efforts:
This information helps keep us informed on where trash is regularly accumulating and which city parks need more attention.
Report a Problem - A2 Fix It
To report any maintenance issues or other problem during your park visit, please report through A2Fix It. When reporting an issue in a park please include location details. There is a details and description section near the end of the request process to help you provide this. In addition, users can utilize the pin (website) or X (mobile app) feature to provide specific location information inside the park. Finally, please consider including a wide angle photo or include background landmarks, which helps staff find and fix the problem.
Disposing of Waste Properly
Disposing of waste properly is one of the most vital skill sets to this activity — and it’s not just a matter of keeping parks visually appealing. Food waste, for example, attracts wildlife and erodes their natural instincts to avoid humans. It can take common items like plastic bags and aluminum cans up to 100 years to decompose. Learn more about the 7 Leave No Trace principles.
