For the sixth year, West Side landscaping and snow removal company Wecycle is hosting its street cleaning event to tidy up the roads of Austin.
On April 25, locals will gather at 5922 W. Division St. and, at 11 a.m., head east down the street to start picking up trash, sweeping debris and cleaning windows. The cleaning crew will head south on Central and end at 5840 W. Chicago Ave. for a scavenger hunt, giveaways, food from Uncle Gene’s BBQ and music by DJ Lipgloss.
“People look forward to it. The community always comes out. That’s what we look forward to,” said David Malik Fleming, who started Wecycle and the cleaning event. He says the annual get-together is “a good time, bringing beauty and unity back to the community.”
In past years, the cleanup has been attended by public officials like state Rep. Camille Lilly, Alds. Emma Mitts and Chris Taliaferro, volunteers from groups like the Austin African American Business Networking Association and congregants from local churches. As in past years, Trinity Community Baptist Church Pastor Timothy Williams will lead attendees in prayer on the route.
At the end of this year’s cleanup, there will be tables from different businesses. Ladonna Truss, founder of Trust in Truss Second Chance Program, will share information about independent living housing options for seniors, veterans and anyone else looking for a fresh start. BarStar Carmen Catering LLC will also have a table, founded by Fleming’s “better half,” Doris Freeman. Freeman also helps fundraise for the cleanup, since supplies are otherwise purchased out-of-pocket.
Wecycle’s 2024 event filled over thirty 50-pound trash bags and used nearly a gallon of Windex. Last year’s event filled up a similar amount of trash bags, and “we did a lot of windows. The kids enjoyed that,” Fleming said.
To further expand Wecycle’s impact, Fleming said he’s been talking with state representatives and local officials to connect youth from summer work programs with Wecycle to provide training to the next generation of landscapers.
Fleming launched Wecycle as a landscaping company in 2019 after working for a ride share company and noticing he threw trash out the window while driving in his own neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side, but not while driving in the North Shore.
“I took an inward look at myself, had to edify myself and try to be a part of the solution as opposed to the problem,” Fleming said.
Today, Wecycle primarily services Chicago’s West Side and the western suburbs with landscaping services, snow removal in the winter, plus painting and basic carpentry for home improvement projects.
Interested in joining the street cleaning? Meet April 25 at 5922 W. Division St. at 10 a.m.