The Community Trash Challenge
by Oliver St John

     Did you know that the average mile of highway in the United States has 1,457 pieces of litter strewn along it?

     Not all of this is due to human negligence, of course; some of these items have been removed from trashcans by gusts of wind, or by foraging animals. However, it is still a number worthy of our attention, and worth attempting to reduce.

     It's not just in the United States, nor it is just along highways. Most streets across this world have some litter to be picked up, and this is where YOU can help.

     The Green Room is pleased to introduce the Community Trash Challenge!

     Here's how it works:

  1. 1. Organize a team to represent your neighborhood, school or office.
  2. 2. Pick up as much trash as you can. Please take care to advise any participating children to avoid picking up broken glass, needles or any other potentially hazardous items.
  3. 3. Record the weight of trash collected (or best guess), along with the name of your team, the number of people collecting and the time taken, and email it to us.

     Any of the trash which can subsequently be recycled will only serve to add to the green effort, so if you have been able to recycle part of what has been gathered, please do let us know that too.

     Each month, we will publish a list of the teams' accomplishments and the total volume of trash that has been collected as part of the Challenge.

     The Challenge will run until the end of the year to encourage participation from new readers. The more people we can get involved, the bigger the difference we can make together.

Team Name Representing Number of People Trash Collected Time Taken
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