OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Springtime means cleaning up and people from both Nebraska and Iowa were doing just that despite Saturday's windy weather.
“Everybody's out in the garage messing around and all this stuff's been sitting for years, it needs to go,” said John Kaiser.
Old unwanted couches, sofas, televisions and even old cooking grills made their grand transition to scrap Saturday as part of the city's spring cleanup.
“It's put on by the City of Omaha Solid Waste Department and Keep Omaha Beautiful. But they recruit neighborhood associations and homeowners associations to make it happen. We register, we're assigned a date and then we're responsible for providing volunteer support and keeping the event moving,” said Kate Grafel, Willow Wood Park Neighborhood Assoc.
The cleanup is not just in Nebraska but also across the state line in Iowa. Operation Dump Busters are not letting the crazy weather keep them from keeping the Hitchcock Nature Center clean.
“We've had some awesome families come out today and brave the crazy winds, I think so far we've collected over 10 lbs of trash,” said Kylie Gumpert, Hitchcock Nature Center.
Both events give people the opportunity not just to refresh but also to reconnect.
The rear load truck has been pretty busy all day long. But volunteers say this event is not just about the bulky trash clean-up.
“We get to talk to them we get to connect with neighbors, they may be here to drop off that old mattress but while they're here we get to find out what they need and what we can do for them,” said Grafel.
“Anything we can do to get more people out connecting with the outdoors their environment is great because it makes them healthier it makes the land healthier,” said Gumpert.
They say the best spring cleaning is effective both inside and out.
“We want to heal the land, and heal our relationship with it which helps us heal ourselves,” said Gumpert.
The city will be holding future cleanup events each Saturday for the next four more weeks.
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