This October, Chicago is going up against Philly and Los Angeles 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, Block By Block Philly is leading on the Philly side, and South Central Clean Up is leading on the Los Angeles side. Special thanks to Independent Recycling Services for sponsoring the Chicago side of this event!
How it Works
Pick Your Spot
Clean your block, a park, a street corner, or any area within Chicago, Philadelphia, or Los Angeles city limits.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 celebrate once the cleanup is over!
The Rules
All trash must be collected within Philly, Chicago, or Los Angeles 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 organizers are the only ones who can only submit totals from group events (aka, participants cannot submit their personal collection totals).
Individuals who pick up litter outside of formal group events can submit as many times as they like throughout the month. You are encouraged to submit right after doing your cleaning, as this will make our weekly counts as accurate as possible.
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: #TheCleanOff
Tag us:
Instagram: @blockbyblockphilly, @cleanupclub_chicago, @southcentralcleanup
Facebook: Cleanup Club Chicago + Block By Block Philly
Tiktok: South Central Cleanup
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!
Download our Printable Flyer (Coming Soon!)
Thank You to Our Chicago Sponsors!
Participating Orgs
This form will open on October 1st.
Last year, we held the same competition against Philly, and CHICAGO WAS VICTORIOUS! Learn more about our collective impact below.
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 September 15th, 2026:
We have over 2,100 members across Chicago
We have collected nearly 7,000 kitchen-sized bags of litter, weighing more than 59,000 lbs
We have completed 130+ group cleanup events
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.