140,000 lbs. of Garbage & Recycling Collected to date as part of the Annual Citywide Cleanup Event
JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop joins the City’s Department of Public Works and the Office of Cultural Affairs to announce the return of the Great Jersey City Cleanup on May 20, 2023. The City hosts the annual event in partnership with Keep Jersey City Beautiful to help foster community by mobilizing thousands of volunteers to take action towards improving and beautifying neighborhoods across all six wards of Jersey City.
Residents, elected officials, community leaders, and civic organizations will join forces to clean neighborhood parks, pick up litter and debris on streets and sidewalks, and plant flowers to enhance public spaces. Since the start of this initiative in 2016, nearly 4,000 volunteers have helped clean and remove a total of 140,000 pounds of garbage and recycling.
“A clean community benefits everyone. We all live here, and the Great Jersey City Cleanup is an opportunity for our residents and community members to come together and make a positive impact on each of our diverse neighborhoods,” said Mayor Fulop. “This cleanup grows bigger and bigger every year, and our hope is to encourage everyone to keep our community clean and beautiful every day.”
For the first time since 2019, the cleanup event is being brought back following shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent supply shortages. The 2023 cleanup event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at six locations spanning the City. To participate, please visit our Serve Jersey City website at jcnj.org/ServeJC.
John Lynch, the DPW’s Director of Administrative Services, leads the Great JC Cleanup operation. “We are excited to host the Great Jersey City Cleanup once again and bring together our community in support of a cleaner City. We encourage all residents to join us and make a positive impact. The Great JC Clean Up is a great event that promotes awareness and encourages people of the community to take further action each and every day.”
Volunteer check-in tents will be stationed at the following locations:
Columbia Park
Lincoln Park
Journal Square Plaza
Riverview Park
Hamilton Park
Arlington Park
“We are volunteering because this is where we live. This is where our kids go to school. This is our community. We want our community to stay clean,” volunteers said at the 2019 event. “Hopefully, everyone follows along and we can keep our city beautiful.”
"Seeing everyone excited to come together under a common cause is always fulfilling and I look forward to the initiate expanding in the future,” added Omni Aviv, who oversees the Office of Community Engagement and Volunteerism and has been mobilizing participants for the Cleanup since 2017.
Gloves and trash/recycling bags will be provided at each location. A limited quantity of equipment is available; therefore, volunteers are encouraged to bring their own brooms, rakes, and litter grabbers wherever possible.
About Keep Jersey City Beautiful
Keep Jersey City Beautiful is the first Keep America Beautiful affiliate in the State of New Jersey. KAB is a leading national nonprofit that inspires and educates people to take daily action to improve and beautify their community by mobilizing volunteers for civic engagement.