Unleash your inner Littergeek
Does this pic make you crazy? It sure brings our #littergeek out!
Once you've poked around the DL app and understand how Litterlogging works, we've got some tips to help you level up the impact you're having on your local community.
A big part of what we're up to here is combatting what we call "litter blindness"—a condition where one becomes so used to seeing litter strewn about your community that you simply don't see it anymore. Or worse, you may think "well I don't litter myself, so that's someone else's problem."
The reality is, unless we all start deciding to do something about litter, we will never get ahead of the problem. And it really doesn't take a lot of time or effort to make a huge difference in the world we all share.
The cleanups you log in the DL app may be simple and spontaneous, picking up a few pieces here and there throughout the day. How many times have you seen litter just a few feet from a trash can at your local shopping center? Take 10 seconds, pick it up, and drop it in the can. That's a score!
They may be dedicated Litterwalks you take with a partner, colleague, family member, or friend—outside your workplace or around your neighborhood. Doesn't have to be every day or on every walk you do, but commit to doing one a week, you'll be amazed how much litter you delete.
Or they may be larger, group cleanup events at a park or on a beach or along a trail. We are seeing more and more of these out there—which is great!—but they often happen just once or a couple times per year in any given community.
All of the activities above are great ways to start or continue making a difference in your community through everyday efforts integrated into your lifestyle.
Hopefully, we've inspired you to think differently about litter and now you're fired up, ready to get out there, and log your first cleanup.
Before you do, here's some helpful tools that we like to use in the good fight for cleaner communities:
Grabbers
There are a bunch of different options to choose from on Amazon, ranging in price from under $10 to over $25. You can also find these at your local hardware store.
We favor these grabbers because they are priced right (about $12), feel heavy duty, and offer different handle colors so you and your crew can tell them apart.
The more expensive grabbers often have magnetized tips or swivel heads, but we haven't missed not having those features on our cleanups.
Collectors
Grabber's got to have somewhere to go, right? Collectors can really be anything—garbage bags, shopping totes, buckets, anything that can hold litter and be either disposed with it or washed out for your next activity.
We dig these shoppers from Out of the Woods® because they are low-cost, sturdy, and made from recycled plastic bottles recovered from the ocean. The extra large, 6-gallon capacity is big enough to hold a couple hundred pieces of litter. Lightweight tote is great for Litterwalks and easily cleaned with a garden hose.
Counters
Counting the litter pieces you collect is pretty simple. You can just use your brain to remember the count, sign in on the DL web app to create and then update a log throughout the day, or click these handy little clicker counters you can buy online or in a sporting goods store.
Our go-to is one of many free counter apps available for smartwatches. We rely on this Counter app from Mishima Design, easily downloaded and installed from the Apple Store. It has an elegantly simple design that enables super-easy, one-tap counting as you go.
In addition to the items above, you might also consider some work gloves if you're cleaning up particularly nasty areas or don't want to use a grabber. And, if you're doing cleanups alongside a roadway or where visibility is key to your safety, a bright, reflective vest is a great idea.
Remember, please use common sense when Litterlogging out there, as all cleanup activities you perform are done at your own risk.
Well, there you have it, the right mindset and toolkit to unleash your inner #littergeek. We look forward to seeing you climbing up the Litterboard real soon!