23 in 23
23 in 23: Public Works’ Plan to Clean Up 23 Communities in 23 Days is a neighborhood clean-up program instituted by newly-elected Mayor of Birmingham Larry Langford in November 2007 and carried out by the Birmingham Department of Public Works. The number "23" refers to the number of communities in Birmingham's Community Participation Program.
As presented, the program involves three waves of work crews spending one day working in each community. The first wave includes 24 limb loaders and 8 pickers removing trash and debris. The second wave includes 30 horticulture crews to cut and clean parks, rights-of-way, alleys, ditches and vacant lots. The third wave involves smaller trash and brush crews picking up debris from the second wave.
The order in which communities are serviced was determined by geography:
- Five Points West community
- West End community
- Grasselli community
- Brownville community
- Southwest community
- Titusville community
- Smithfield community
- Ensley community
- Pratt community
- North Birmingham community
- Northside community
- Southside community
- Red Mountain community
- Crestline community
- Crestwood community
- Woodlawn community
- East Birmingham community
- East Lake community
- Airport Hills community
- Roebuck-South East Lake community
- East Pinson Valley community
- Huffman community
- Cahaba community
Progress
After the first wave, all 23 communities had been served by the program. In that time crews picked up 17,369 tons of trash and debris (755 tons per day), cut 1,134 overgrown lots (49 per day), and placed notices on 656 abandoned cars (28.5 per day), of which 188 were hauled off (8 per day). This was accomplished with 72,400 staff hours (362 workers x 200 hours each)
References
- Coman, Victoria L. (December 11, 2007) "At halfway point, some Birmingham residents pleased with citywide cleanup; others have concerns." Birmingham News.
- Coman, Victoria L. (Deecember 29, 2007) "Birmingham cleanup harvests tons of trash, cars." Birmingham News.