Snow still blankets the city, but Reading’s Clean City team said it’s not too early to start planning for the coming spring cleanup season.

Clean City Coordinator Ryan Bradley rallied City Council’s support for upcoming events and ongoing initiatives at a recent council committee of the whole meeting.

Organizers are already planning the annual Earth Day celebration and Great American Cleanup, both scheduled for April 18

The Earth Day celebration in City Park is co-organized by the nonprofit Earth Day Berks County and Reading’s Public Works Department.

The day will kick off with a citywide cleanup, part of the nationwide Great American Cleanup, said Bethany Ayers Fisher, city sustainability manager.

An effort of the nonprofit Keep America Beautiful, the annual cleanup is the nation’s largest community improvement program. An estimated 20,000 communities nationwide take part each year.

Earth Day activities in City Park will begin at noon following the cleanup, she said.

Bradley said the park will again serve as the central hub for volunteers to pick up supplies. Clean City staff will provide all materials and coordinate volunteers to support citywide cleanups.

The city already has strong commitments from local schools and colleges, he said, including Alvernia University, which regularly provides 75 to 100 student volunteers each year.

Bradley also asked council members to identify a park or area within their district that needs to be cleaned and to host a cleanup as part of the day’s morning events.

Cleanup efforts, he told council, are as much about community engagement as they are about trash removal.

“From Clean City’s standpoint, I just want to be able to work closer with council when it comes to community engagement,” he said.

Last year’s Great American Cleanup drew more than 300 volunteers who collected 337 bags of trash weighing a total of 5.6 tons, Bradley noted.

This year, he said, he hopes to surpass those figures.

City Managing Director Jack Gombach commended the team and volunteers for their work and the amount of trash collected.

“In case you guys are wondering,” Gombach told council, “that is the size equivalent of one average African elephant of trash being picked up, or five large horses, and that’s just one day.”

The effort, he noted, translated into an estimated $34,359 in savings for the city.

The spring events play significant roles in helping to build community, fostering stewardship and responsibility, and educating the public about environmental issues, Bradley said. But beyond those single-day efforts, the city’s Adopt-a-Block program plays a central role in sustaining cleanup initiatives year-round, he said.

The action plan rolled out in 2022 engages residents in keeping Reading’s streets, sidewalks, parks and playgrounds cleaner and safer.

Residents volunteer to serve as block captains who oversee and coordinate ongoing cleanups in their immediate neighborhoods.

Block captains can be individuals, groups or organizations that commit to cleaning litter in their adopted block at least once a week for two years.

Each adopted block is marked with a sign showing the name of the captain and acknowledging participation.

With about 150 blocks in the program, Clean City officials said the impact of the ongoing cleanups is beginning to show.

Ayers-Fisher noted the volume and nature of illegal dumping have changed over time.

“In the six years that I’ve been part of this team, the characteristics of the trash has changed, and actually the tonnage is starting to go down,” she said. “We’re seeing fewer illegal dumps.”

Clean City Foreman Ronald Epps also credited the city’s periodic “Dumpster Day” events for residential, non-hazardous, bulky item disposal with lessening illegal dumping.

The next major citywide event is scheduled for May 16, Bradley said, noting more information will be forthcoming.

Councilwoman Melissa Ventura said the disposal days help build relationships between residents and city staff.

“Every cleanup that we do, you meet someone new, you stay in contact,” Ventura said. “Residents know to contact you when they see illegal dumping.”

The dumpster program and neighborhood cleanups help instill a culture of responsibility that starts with visibility and education, Councilman Jaime Baez Jr. said.

“It’s very important to build a culture that cares about the cleanliness of their city,” Baez said.

For more information or to volunteer for Earth Day 2026, visit https://sites.google.com/view/earthdayberks/join-us-on-earth-day?authuser=0.

For more information or to volunteer for Adopt-a-Block, visit readingpa.gov/adopt-a-block.