To make real change on any issue, we believe the first step is raising awareness. Awareness without action will not lead anywhere, but in order to build a movement, you have to tell people and get them to care. Raising awareness is an important aspect of our focus areas at Waste-Free Dayton, and when we were contacted in late January to be a part of an art exhibition coming to Dayton called Trash Talk, it didn’t take long for us to say yes to the opportunity.

On April 8th, 2022, Waste-Free Dayton was two years old. We began as a Facebook group, started by our Executive Director Natalie, who desired a community of people who encourage one another and share ideas about how to live waste-free in the Dayton area.

When Waste-Free Dayton was established earlier this year as an official nonprofit organization, three focus areas were identified as critical to our mission: Reducing Plastics, Increasing Composting and Decreasing Food Waste, and Community Rejuvenation. It is that third area under which we include our monthly litter cleanup events. Organizing and mobilizing volunteers to get out into our communities is something tangible where we can see an immediate impact. It does not address the root cause of the litter - our education and awareness campaigns will hopefully help in this area - but it certainly helps with working towards healthier and safer communities. Recently, we had our largest cleanup event of the year.