25-04-2025
54th Community Cleanup Week
Rapid City, S.D. (KELO) — Garbage bags are filling up around Rapid City as they celebrate Clean Up Week.
Groups have been cleaning up trash and other litter across the city in celebration of Earth Day.
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Each year this week-long event sees thousands of residents doing their part, many who return each year to keep making an impact.
'I think last year about halfway up we generated about 30 full bags of trash alone. Beer cans, diapers, you name it and it's just so sad to see that. So it's important to us to keep it clean,' Weather Tite Exteriors Marketing Manager Hillary Chandler said.
Groups typically pick up in some of the 1,700 acres of park space, along highways, and throughout other urban areas rain or shine.
'We had a job to do, knew it was going to be raining, but we did it anyway, that's what really defines South Dakota. Even when it's tough, even when it's dirty you do it anyway. We see people do it on farms and ranches, we see people do that in businesses and in life. It's even displayed in things like cleaning up your community,' Rapid City Mayor Jason Salamun said.
'I love it. Honestly, I travel a lot and I see trash on sidewalks and the parks. It's just heartbreaking because we live here and we love it here, and seeing it clean and taken care of, there's nothing more satisfying to me,' Chandler said.
This week provides an opportunity for the community to come together and be good stewards of the land.
'Nobody wants to live where it's dirty and messy. They want it to be clean, they want it to be beautiful and here in Rapid City, there's no place more beautiful than Rapid City, it's such a gorgeous city. We have a lot to be proud of so it's really cool to see an entire community come out in great numbers and say no this is our town, we're going to keep it clean,' Salamun said.
The city-wide Cleanup Week has been successfully going for 54 years.
This Saturday will be the culmination of Cleanup Week with the Earth Day Expo taking place at Western Dakota Tech.
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