If you like to help your neighborhood stay tidy, you’re in luck.
Brightside is a department of the Louisville government that helps keep our city clean through events, education, and other resources.
Neighborhood cleanups
Anyone in LOU can organize a neighborhood cleanup by registering at least two weeks in advance through Brightside. The organization will provide two litter bags and a pair of gloves for each volunteer, and you can request push brooms, rakes, and shovels as well.
The best part? Solid Waste Management will haul the litter away once your cleanup event is finished.
Bonus: Call Brightside at 502-574-2613 to get a recommendation on a location that needs attention.
If you can’t organize your own cleanup, you can join one of the Sweep and Sip events held around town. There are four scheduled for 2025:
- Saturday, March 22 at Iroquois Amphitheater in partnership with The Well
- Saturday, April 19 at UofL in partnership with Sunergos
- Saturday, August 2 at Monnik Brewing
- Satuday, Nov. 8, location TBD.
Sweep and Sip events run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Be sure to register ahead of time.
Finally, Brightside holds a community-wide cleanup each spring and fall. This spring’s cleanup will be on Saturday, April 19. Register as an individual or group to help keep Louisville clean.
BrightSites
Brightside doesn’t just stop at removing trash — it also helps put something more attractive in its place.
Brightside maintains small gardens around Louisville called BrightSites. Private businesses can sponsor a patch of city-owned land to beautify it with donated plants. If you’re interested in sponsoring a BrightSite, give them a call at 502-574-2613.
The organization also helps plant trees in western Louisville neighborhoods like California and Russell through the Brown-Forman Legacy Tree Program. The program has planted ~5,000 trees since 2001.
Adopt-A-Mile
If you’ve ever seen a sign declaring a section of roadway sponsored, you’ve seen the results of Brightside’s Adopt-A-Mile program.
Community groups, businesses, or other local organizations can adopt a one-mile stretch of city roadway and clean it at least four times each year in exchange for a sign acknowledging the sponsorship.
Sponsorship costs $300, or $150 for nonprofit organizations.
For the kids
Louisvillians of any age can get in on the fun with Brightside. The organization offers several educational opportunities for classrooms + summer camps:
- The Lorax Project: A free, 40-minute educational program for pre-school classrooms
- Brightside Kids: A program for K-3 classrooms on litter prevention, water conservation, energy conservation, and the benefits of trees
Contact Brightside to schedule a visit to your classroom or other event.
Trash for Cash
As they say, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.
Louisville nonprofits can apply to join the Trash for Cash program and be matched with a roadway that needs a cleanup. The nonprofit earns $100 per mile cleaned.
