FAIRBORN — Cigarette butts, broken beer bottles and food wrappers are just a few of the things a woman in Fairborn picks up on the sidewalks downtown every day.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, Taylor Robertson joined Cyndie Lyons on her daily walk to pick up trash.
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Lyons said the most concerning thing to her is the amount of cigarette butts lying around.
She said this habit started when she first moved to the city.
“The first time I took my dog out for a walk, he got a piece of glass stuck in his paw, and then when I got upon closer inspection, I realized that there’s glass all over the sidewalk,” Lyons said.
Lyons said she spends at least 15 minutes a day picking up trash.
She’s gotten quick and can do the entire downtown stretch at one time.
“People have stopped me throughout the years (and said), ‘What are you doing? Why are you doing that?’ And I’ll tell them, and then a couple of weeks later or so, I’ll see them picking up trash,” she said.
She’s seen a positive impact, but that isn’t always the case.
“Someone spit at me last week, and I don’t know why, but I just wiped the spit off and I just kept cleaning up. And then someone, a few minutes later, came up to me, shook my hand, (and) thanked me. So you’re gonna have both sides of the coin,” Lyons said.
According to the City of Fairborn’s website, the city regularly performs sweeping operations to keep the streets clean.
They added that it takes everyone to keep Fairborn looking beautiful.
“People think the city cleans it up only. They can’t. It’s the people’s responsibility to keep our streets clean,” Lyons said.
“The City of Fairborn is committed to maintaining a clean, welcoming, and vibrant downtown for our residents, businesses, and visitors. We understand that litter is a concern, and our crews work diligently to keep public spaces clean. However, keeping Fairborn beautiful is a shared responsibility. We encourage residents, visitors, and community groups to get involved through programs such as Adopt-a-Highway and our Community Clean-up resources. If you are part of a service organization, church, volunteer committee, or other group and would like to participate, our Street Department can provide trash bags, gloves, and safety vests. For more information, please call 937-754-3025.”
— City of Fairborn spokesperson
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