A volunteer group tackling Chicago’s litter pollution problems through cleanups, city outreach, and
promoting waste reduction.
Founded in July 2020, Cleanup Club Chicago is a dedicated group of Chicago residents who care about the environment and taking care of our community. We combat litter by organizing group cleanups on both land and water, promoting individual cleanup challenges, collaborating with the city to tackle litter removal and reduction, and fostering a culture that discourages wasteful practices. We maintain a network of Cleanup Captains across the city, enabling us to engage a diverse array of neighborhoods.
Our collective impact as of November 3rd, 2024, was:
3,565 kitchen-sized bags of litter
30,869 lbs of trash removed (est)
Want to join our army of litter pickers and receive information about our Group Cleanups, Individual Cleanup Challenges, and more? Please fill out the form at the bottom of the page.
Logo/Banner Credit: Kara Cooke
2024 Group Cleanup Schedule
Cleanups are added to this page on a rolling basis, once details are set. We are open to collaborate on group cleanups with groups/orgs/companies if they meet our criteria for collaboration - if interested, please use the link at the bottom the page for more details. Our 2024 cleanups are still developing, and will be posted on this page and our Instagram when they are announced.
March 1 - April 30: Spring Cleaning Individual Challenge
April 14: Ravenswood Ave Cleanup (in Lakeview)
May 11: My Chicago River Day — Goose Island (Division, Cherry, Hickory, Elston Ave)
May 17: West Loop Cleanup (Ashland and Kinzie)
June 9: West Humboldt Park Cleanup (North and Pulaski)
June 18: 36th Ward Cleanup #1 (Hirsch and Avers)
June 23: Wicker Park (Division and I-90)
June 27: 36th Ward Cleanup #2 (Grand and Keeler)
July 11th: 36th Ward Cleanup #3 (Division and Central Park)
July 20th: BIRTHDAY PARTY Cleanup (Kimball and Avondale Ave, going north)
August 1-31: August Zone Battle
August 3: South Branch Kayak Cleanup (Members Only)
August 24: Pilsen 16th Street
September 5: NW Branch Kayak Cleanup (Members Only)
September 7: Pullman NHP Cleanup with National Park Service
September 14: 40th Ward Collab Cleanup (Western Ave at Bryn Mawr)
September 25: Morgan Park Cleanup with Keep Chicago Clean (Kid-Friendly!)
October 17: West Loop Gate Cleanup (500 W Monroe)
October 20: River North Cleanup + Sunday Funday Afterparty
November 3: Halloween Cleanup in Edgewater + Afterparty
November 1-30: Fall Cleaning Challenge
Meet Our Captains
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Ilana Morgan-Lopez
West Side Captain
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Rick Rosales
South Side Captain
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Brad Zibung
West Side Captain
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Amaya Adams
South Side Captain
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Marnie Thompson
North Side Captain
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![Mae Dolinga]()
Mae Dolinga
North Side Captain
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Marisol Fernandez
South Side Captain
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![Annette Anderson]()
Annette Anderson
West Side Captain
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Jonathan Horak
North Side Captain
Thank You to Our 2024 Sponsors!
Michael Rzeznik
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Other Sponsors and Supporting Groups:
Ian Padovan
Pamela Vergara Rodriguez and Joris Prikken
Monica Schrager
Want to sponsor us? Please email us at cleanupclubchicago@gmail.com
In the News
The Loyola Phoenix (10/23/2024)
Cleanup Club Chicago Tackles Urban Pollution
NBC Chicago Today (6/29/2022)
Cleanup Club Chicago Takes Trash into Their Own Hands, Collect 11,500 Pounds in Two Years
Friends of the Chicago River (12/17/2021)
River Commitment Awards Honor Three for Exceptional Work
WBEZ (12/9/2021)
Cleanup Club Chicago removed thousands of pounds of garbage from around the city this year
Block Club (12/1/2021)
Cleanup Club Chicago, A Volunteer Group Sprucing Up The City, Is Ready To Grow After Collecting Tons Of Trash
For questions related to sponsorship,
press/media inquiries, and student projects, please contact us at cleanupclubchicago@gmail.com.
*Please note that we are volunteers and appreciate serious inquiries out of respect for our time.
Visit this page for more information on collaborating on a group cleanup.