2025 Year in Review

Our community continued to mobilize to keep Silver City clean and beautiful in 2025.

During the 10 cleanups we coordinated in 2025, 199 volunteers gave 527 hours of their time to collect nearly 4 tons of litter from Silver City roads, trails, neighborhoods, and waterways! Our volunteers ranged from long-time residents to couples who had just moved to Silver City that month, from 8 to 86 years old, and from solo volunteers to large groups. We’re so grateful to all the volunteers that drive the success of this program, including the organizations and teams like Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club of Silver City, Supporting People in Need, Daughters of the American Revolution Jacob Bennett Chapter, Community Youth Building, San Vicente Consortium, Trails and Open Space Advisory Committee, Bridge to Ridge) that show up for added impact.

In 2025, we were also able to work with the Town and State to advocate for further infrastructure protections and beautification projects. In February, we attended Breaking Bad Habits Day at the Capitol where we learned about the increasing amounts of litter, dump sites, and graffiti that are burdening communities across our state and our country. As part of the inaugural Breaking Bad Habits cohort, we are setting an example and taking a stand: we care about the health of our environment and the beauty of our towns. In October, we worked with SkyWest Media and the Town of Silver City’s Utility Department on a short video about the improper disposal of oft-overlooked waste: oils and trash thrown into drains. Improper waste disposal in our Town’s drains costs valuable time and taxpayer money to clean blockages, built-up oil, and other debris out of our public sewer lines. Blockages lead to sanitary sewer overflows that can pollute our soils and waterways like San Vicente Creek and cause major health risks, especially for children and pets. Thank you to Silver City’s Utility Department staff for all they do to protect our water supply! And remember: don’t flush any products except toilet paper down your toilet (NO sanitary items, NO “flushable” wipes) and don’t pour oil down your sink. 

In November, we were happy to honor our program’s founder, Mayor Ken Ladner. Mayor Ladner has served his community for 10 years as our town’s mayor, during which time he spearheaded efforts to beautify and protect Silver City. In 2018, Mayor Ladner founded our program and has remained a steadfast champion for litter prevention and one of our most dedicated volunteers, participating in nearly every cleanup, encouraging business owners to commit to keeping their properties litter-free, and recruiting local organizations to participate in the program.

Thank you to the Town of Silver City, New Mexico Clean and Beautiful, and the Lineberry Foundation for the generous support that keeps our program running. These funding sources and partnerships will continue through 2026. You can join our cleanups on the third Saturday of every month, starting February 2026.

Follow us on Facebook, on Instagram, or through our monthly newsletter to get updates about our upcoming cleanups.