This October, Chicago and Philly are going head-to-head to prove which city can pick up the most trash in just one month. It’s a friendly rivalry with a powerful purpose cleaning our streets, building pride in our neighborhoods, and ending the culture of litter and dumping! Cleanup Club Chicago is leading on the Chicago side, and Block By Block Philly is leading on the Philly side. The top pickers on the Chicago side will be eligible to pick from prizes including tickets to a 2026 Chicago Fire FC game, a $100 gift card for Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba, a Chicago Tool Library membership, a $100 gift card for Cira Restaurant, and passes for the Shedd Aquarium! Special thanks to Independent Recycling Services and Seed & Strain for sponsoring this event.
This is more than a cleanup. It’s a movement. Thousands of people across both cities will be hitting the streets, parks, and blocks to make their communities shine and every bag of trash counts!
How it Works
Pick Your Spot
Clean your block, a park, a street corner, or any area within Chicago or Philadelphia city limits. You can also join one of our group cleanup events (or one hosted by our partners):- East Garfield Park, 10/25 (Cleanup Club)
- Rogers Park, 10/26 (Cleanup Club)
- Wicker Park, 10/25 (Garbage Gals)
- Bronzeville, 10/25 (LoveBlue, QCDC)
Bag the Trash
Count your bags and take a photo. (Only if you’re doing it on your own- if you’re at a participating cleanup event, they’ll do it for the whole group.)Submit Your Cleanup
Every cleanup needs to be logged through our form (below).Track the Scoreboard
We’ll be tallying every submission and updating the online scoreboard regularly so you can see which city is leading.Win Prizes and Celebrate with Us
Top individual litter pickers will win a variety of prizes, and we will have a big cleanup and afterparty on 11/1 to celebrate the competition!
The Rules
All trash must be collected within Philly or Chicago city limits.
Submissions require a photo for verification.
Bag/bucket counts must be included.
Only volunteer efforts count (city employees or contractors cannot participate on the clock.)
Cleanup group leads can only submit totals from group events.
Individuals can submit as many times as they like throughout the month- you are encouraged to submit right after doing your cleaning , as we will need the date/location and other info for each cleanup.
Have any questions? Reach out to cleanupclubchicago@gmail.com
Help us Spread the Word!
Participate on Social Media
Let’s make this go viral!
Use the official hashtag: #ChivsPhilly
Tag us:
Instagram: @blockbyblockphilly & @cleanupclub_chicago
Facebook: Cleanup Club Chicago + Block By Block Philly
Post your photos, your “trash talk,” and your progress!
Challenge your friends and family in the other city to participate!
Promote it with a Flyer!
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
Participating Orgs
Submit your litter cleanup, starting October 1st.
Founded in July 2020, Cleanup Club Chicago is a dedicated group of Chicago residents who care about the environment and taking care of our community. We combat litter by organizing group cleanups on both land and water, promoting individual cleanup challenges, collaborating with the city to tackle litter removal and reduction, and fostering a culture that discourages wasteful practices. We maintain a network of Cleanup Captains across the city, enabling us to engage with a diverse array of neighborhoods. We now have nonprofit status through the Illinois Environmental Council!
As of August 31st, 2025:
We have over 1,100 members across Chicago
We have collected over 4,800 kitchen-sized bags of litter, weighing more than 41,000 lbs
We have completed 100 group cleanup events
We’ve got BIG PLANS for the future. Click HERE to learn more.
Become a Member
For questions related to sponsorship,
press/media inquiries, and student projects, please contact us at cleanupclubchicago@gmail.com.
*Please note that we are volunteers and appreciate serious inquiries out of respect for our time.
Visit this page for more information on collaborating on a group cleanup.