Cleanup stats so far:
9 Bags
0 Tires
0 Other Items
Cleanup Challenge 2025: A Proud Part of the Greatest American Cleanup
This year, we’re thrilled to align our Cleanup Challenge with the Greatest American Cleanup (GAC250), the nation’s largest community improvement program led by Keep America Beautiful. GAC250 is a historic effort to clean, green, and beautify 25,000 communities nationwide in preparation for America’s 250th birthday in 2026.
By participating in the Cleanup Challenge, you’re not just making a difference in Hamilton County—you’re contributing to a nationwide movement. The goal of GAC250 is to remove 25 billion pieces of litter and revitalize public spaces across the country. Every bag of trash collected, every tire removed, and every team that participates brings us one step closer to a cleaner, more beautiful America.
About the Cleanup Challenge
Now in its 4th year, the Cleanup Challenge is an annual event hosted by Keep Soddy-Daisy Beautiful from April 21 – April 27, coinciding with Earth Day on April 22. During this week, we invite teams to pick up litter in their communities, making a direct impact on our local environment. It’s a fantastic way to get outside, stay active, and do something meaningful for your community.
After the event, we’ll celebrate our volunteers, award prizes to top teams, and recognize the incredible efforts of our community. The Cleanup Challenge isn’t just about collecting trash—it’s about building civic pride, fostering community engagement, and inspiring long-term environmental stewardship.
Last Year’s Success
In 2024, 15 teams and nearly 288 volunteers took part in the Cleanup Challenge, collecting:
✅ 611 bags of trash
✅ 106 tires
✅ 71 large discarded items
Cleanup sites included Lovell Rd, Dallas Hollow, Sequoyah Access, W Ridge Trail Rd, Mountain Rd, Montlake Rd, North Chick Creek Trailhead, Lee Pike, Mt. Tabor, Frontage Rd, Dayton Pike, Durham St, and Daisy Elementary campus.
Our local partners included the City of Soddy-Daisy, Public Works, and TVA.
Who Can Participate?
This event is open to all residents of Hamilton County, TN, and surrounding areas. Whether you’re an individual, family, school, club, church, or business, we invite you to compete for prizes and help clean up our community.
By joining the Cleanup Challenge 2025, you’re not only improving Hamilton County—you’re taking part in a nationwide initiative to make America cleaner, greener, and more beautiful.
Ready to be part of the movement? Create your team today!
Schedule of Events
- Now: Teams are forming. Make sure and create yours now!
- Starting April 19: Checkout trash bags, safety vests and other cleanup supplies from us.
- April 21 – April 27: Go out and cleanup with your team!
- May 1 – Celebrate with us with refreshments, prizes and a trophy for the winning team.
Contest Rules
There’s really only a few rules.
- You must create your team online. Even if its just a one person team (yourself), you need to register your team. Even a one person team can win the “Most Trash Picked up (per team member) award” but only if you register.
- Safety first. Read the safety guidelines BEFORE you and your team venture out to do a cleanup.
- Wait until April 21 before you do your cleanup(s). Do your cleanup any time between April 21 and April 27. You can do multiple cleanups throughout the week if you wish. At the end of the week, we add up all your bags/tires/etc from all your cleanups.
- In order to be eligible for the contest your team must submit each cleanup’s information (after you finish a cleanup), including photos (of bags and items collected and a photo of your team in the field). We also need to know WHERE you cleaned up, especially if you need help with disposal. You can check out the disposal options here.
- Bags and items collected will be calculated based on size and/or weight and its solely up to the Keep Soddy-Daisy Beautiful team on how to calculate them for contest purposes. For example, if a bag is really full, we may count it as 1 and 1/2 bags. If a bag is really small, we may count it as a 1/2. We want to be as fair as possible.
- Any bags/tires you find you can just leave off to the side of the road. Be sure that they do not impede traffic.
Team Signup / Portal
Create your team online in order to be eligible to compete for prizes, get cleanup supplies, get help with disposal, etc.
Already created your team? You can manage your team, submit cleanups, and more here.
Team List
Here are a list of the teams that have signed up so far and where they plan to do their cleanups. You should consider doing your cleanup at a safe area that has not been claimed by another team already. Check the list below for the areas teams are planning on cleaning at.
Submit your cleanup(s)
You will need photos, team member count, location and bag count so be sure to take down those details as you do your cleanups.
Cleanups so far:
Checkout cleanup supplies
You can checkout (and return) clean up supplies such as trash bags, trash grabbers, safety vests and gloves at any of these locations and times. If you have any trouble finding a location, feel free to text or call Nate at 541-414-4660.
Celebration
This year we will have a small celebration at the Scamble Alley pavilion on May 1, 2025 from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. 190 Depot St Soddy-Daisy TN 37379
Refreshments prizes and a trophy will be awarded to teams. All team members (and friends and family members) are more than welcome to join us for the celebration.
Awards
- Most Trash Collected award
The team that collects the most overall trash will win this award and be named the winners of the 2024 Cleanup Challenge. - The Most Trash Collected (per team member) award
Teams can be made up of one individual or hundreds or people. In order to calculate this award, the number of bags will be divided by the number of team members. - The Most Bizarre Trash Item award
Found something ridiculous on your cleanup like a pair of duck feet slippers or a Ronald McDonald head? Take a photo and submit it for the Most Bizarre Trash item award. - The Largest Trash Item award
Found a mattress, couch or something else huuuge? Submit it for Largest Trash Item award.
FAQ’s
1. Put all of your bags and trash items together in a pile on the side of the road (just off the road). If you are cleaning along a long portion of a road and its not realistic to gather them all into one pile, try to make two or three piles with multiple bags each. Make sure bags are tied closed as well. Do not overfill.
2. Take one or more pictures of each pile.
3. Submit those photos and additional details here.
4. Dispose of the trash.
Don’t worry about trying to bag up large or awkward items such as tires or mattresses that don’t fit well in bags. Just set them next to one of your filled trash bags and take a picture of the item. Large items will count toward your total bag count so be sure to keep a count of them as well.
There is no limit. You can be a team of one or one thousand.
We will make these items available to your team before (and during) the event.
Typically we just throw them away. Most recyclables that we find have degraded so much over time, or they are contaminated with food or dirt, and cannot be recycled. If you find some that look clean and in good condition you are welcome to recycle them on your own. The Seqouyah Recycling Center is a great place to do that.
Sponsors and Donations
We need the support of sponsors/donations to help cover the costs associated with the Cleanup Challenge. If you are interested in sponsoring the event, please reach out to us directly.
Thank you to last years sponsors:
Donate to the Cleanup Challenge
If you would just like to provide a donation to help cover costs, we appreciate it very much and you can do so here.
Flyers
Challenge your family, friends, businesses, churches, schools or even your local government!
Print one of the flyers below.