Make Grand Junction’s 2021 Spring Clean-Up the Best Ever

I love Grand Junction's Spring Clean-Up Program. As the same time, though, I have a bit of an issue with it. The program itself is brilliant. The way in which we, the public, execute our end of the deal needs a little work.

As a homeowner and a slumlord (I own rental properties) the city's Spring Clean-Up Program can be a lifesaver. After rounding up a years worth of fallen limbs, miscellaneous junk, and various odds and ends, it really helps to have a program such as this. If I had to haul all of it to the landfill myself, it would cost a fortune and require a truck much bigger than mine.

Get our free mobile app

The negative side.

What I don't get is the casual attitude many residents have. Items can be seen thrown all over the sidewalk or even out into the road. Trash needing to be put into some kind of receptacle, items such as loose paper, are often left out only to be blown around once a decent wind comes up.

Look at the photo at top. Whoever placed the trash all over the sidewalk probably didn't stop to think we have a neighbor in a wheelchair. How is he supposed to get by that mess? (Of course, neighbors got together and moved the items off the sidewalk.)

How about those items which could easily be refurbished or recycled?

I found this old beat-up school desk in a pile of trash just a few blocks from my house. The materials could have easily been recycled. Then again, the entire desk could easily be refurbished.

Okay, I've shared these photos before. What can I say, we had fun with this project. My dad (who has since passed away) and I spent a few hours sanding, cutting, shaping wood, and painting, and turned this old worn-out desk into a "new" piece of furniture.

Someone else will get to enjoy it now.

It was given to a friend of mine and his five-year-old daughter. It seems to me this desk would come in far more useful as a desk for a little girl as opposed to yet another item in the landfill. To be honest, the project was rewarding (I can't recall, but I think it was the last project I did with my dad before he died).

I say again, I love the Spring Cleanup Program, and find it a valuable resource. I do wish, however, we, the public, took another look at how we execute things on our end.