AKRON, Ohio — In February, Debbie Miller, a Firestone Park resident, had an incident where her dog was injured by a piece of glass littered in her Firestone Park neighborhood, prompting her to begin a city cleanup to rid the streets of trash. After picking up 50,000 pieces by April, Miller had set a goal of picking up 100,000 pieces of litter—and just two months later, she reached that goal.
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On Wednesday night, Miller's goal of 100,000 pieces of litter cleaned off the streets became a reality.
"I picked up 50,000 pieces, then I went for my next 50,000…I hit my goal last night. Yes,100,000 pieces," Miller said. "And I do count as I drop pieces of trash into my trash."
Over the past few months, Miller has been honored for her efforts to beautify her corner of Akron, with April 2, 2023 being declared "Debbie Miller Day" by Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan. But she's also been thanked by her neighbors and fellow Akronites.
"They're just really grateful. They're really grateful that everything looks so nice here, and you go to the next neighborhood—it doesn't look so nice there," Miller said. "People are proud to live here now, I think."
The efforts to clean up the city have gotten others, like Ellen Alt, to follow in Miller's footsteps.
Alt celebrated with Miller, excited that she was able to reach her goal of 100,000 pieces of litter cleaned from Akron streets in just a few short months.
"It was unbelievable. It was awesome. I just can't. Words can't describe how I feel about what she's doing. I mean that somebody cares that much about their own neighborhood," Alt said. "The fact that she does it, that she doesn't have to do it. She wants to do it. Every night she goes out, she cleans up trash, she comes home, she takes her dogs for a walk. She makes it safe for the little kids to play. She makes it safe for people to walk their dogs down the sidewalk. She cares about people. She cares about her community. She's an amazing person, really."
Alt received a trash grabber and pair of gloves from Miller and now uses them to clean up her area, adding another person taking ownership of keeping the streets clear of trash.
But Alt isn't the only person who has been inspired by Miller since she first started her mission.
At Keep Akron Beautiful, where the organization offers resources to residents to help them take cleanup into their own hands, they've seen Miller use those resources to reach a bigger audience and get more people involved in the work.
"She asked me for [litter grabbers], and I'm like, 'Of course, we'll provide the materials.' And she's been handing them out to other residents and children and getting more people excited about picking up trash in the community. And that's what we love to see," said Jacqui Ricchiuti, CEO of Keep Akron Beautiful.
Miller is now aiming to get youth involved in her mission, hoping to pass on the goal of a clean and litter-free Akron to the next generation.
"We need the kids to get involved," Miller said. "I give a kid a trash grabber and he thinks it's Christmas. One little boy on Wilbeth Road was still picking up trash two hours later after I gave him a trash grabber."
Ricchiuti appreciates that focus and hopes it can be the spark to end littering in the future.
"Best thing that we could ever see is a litter-free Akron. That means I've done my job, Debbie's done her job, we've all done our job, and our kids and our families can be in a place that's clean, green and beautiful, and we can inspire the next generation," Ricchiuti said.
While she continues raising awareness for litter cleanup in the area, Miller continues asking for people in the area and beyond to join her cause.
"Help me. Help me pick up trash. I can't do this by myself—I am doing it by myself, but I need help. There's too much," she said.
Help has come from people like Alt, who plan to do their part as well. But as long as there's litter on the streets of Akron, Miller plans to keep picking it up.
"Going for another 100,000," Miller smiled. "The next time you hear from me, I'll probably be at 250k. Yeah—maybe a million."
Meanwhile, Keep Akron Beautiful is hiring a Litter Collection Supervisor to join their team and help expand the efforts they share with Miller. To learn more about the position, click here.
