keeping our streets clean

By Sukhpreet Saini

While taking a casual walk, or even driving to somewhere like a grocery store or school, you may have noticed the streets have been dirty with things like litter and graffiti. Discarded wrappers, bottles, and other trash can be seen along most sidewalks, and whether you have the time to pick them up or not, they’ll remain a big problem. That’s when cleaning programs like Groundwerx come into play. Groundwerx is a program dedicated to addressing these issues and overall enhancing the cleanliness of our community. 

Located in downtown San Jose, Groundwerx is a program that helps keep the streets clean while being as environmentally friendly as possible. Their cleaning crew does sidewalk sweeping, anti-graffiti, pressure washing, and more. 

The pileup of litter can have a negative impact on the environment. Trash, particularly plastic, can easily end up in our oceans and waterways, harming marine life and polluting our water sources. 

Groundwerx attempts to prevent this by regularly cleaning the streets and ensuring that litter is properly disposed of. 

Chris Kendrix, the operations manager of this program, has been working for Groundwerx for about ten years and finds his job very rewarding. He shares about the environmental impact and hazards of litter piling up.

Kendrix: Well, um, you know, a lot of this trash can flow into the storm drains and our storm drains here in downtown San Jose don't flow to a treatment plant. And so those things can get out to the bay or end up in our waterways very easily. And so trash can have a major impact if it's not being disposed of properly.

Polluted streets have the worst effects on small business owners by making the place seem dirty. This leads to the loss of profit since people are most likely to avoid places that are seen as dirty on the outside. 

Hiring someone to clean up messes can be hard for some owners to afford, and it would be easier for them if the problem wasn’t there in the first place. Groundwerx helps these small businesses by cleaning up for them, allowing them to focus on running and growing their business instead of worrying about the appearance of their surroundings.

Kendrix: So I would say the small business owners are the ones that kind of see the effects of when streets are not clean and stuff like that. It could give a perception that things are not safe. It could give a perception that it's not maintained or managed. And so those are things that can happen if, you know, the streets are not looking clean.

As civilians, we can help keep our streets clean as well. Whether it be taking steps like volunteering for cleaning programs like Groundwerx, or simply just making sure you throw your trash away, people can take part in keeping our streets clean. By working together, we can build a healthier, cleaner, and more attractive community for everyone.

Kendrix: Well, folks could do their part on making sure that the trash that they are disposing is going into an appropriate receptacle. Um, a lot of times folks and you know, businesses, can recycle things like that. Those are very helpful to making sure they keep our environment safe.

Keeping our streets clean is not only about the aesthetics, but also for the environment. Programs like Groundwerx play a crucial role in making sure our community looks its best and stays healthy. It’s important to recognize that every little effort helps. It could be something like picking up litter, properly disposing of waste, or participating in community events. These actions help reduce pollution, prevent health hazards, and create a more pleasant environment for everyone.