INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Department of Public Works (DPW) will continue to deploy contracted Keys to Work crews out across the city after teams began working regularly mid-June to remove roadside litter and illegal dumping. While this work was temporarily suspended this spring due to COVID-19, DPW has coordinated with Keys to Work to ensure that extra precautions as well as social distancing guidelines will be in place to protect crew members.
Crews began cleaning up litter within the public right-of-way along Massachusetts Avenue and they will continue litter abatement efforts north up to 38th Street. The workers will continue to clean up throughout Indy from a previously selected list of areas, including a segment of Binford Blvd.
Indy DPW, the Office of Public Health and Safety, and Keys to Work entered into this partnership to help keep Indianapolis clean, while also providing ex-offenders stable jobs. In 2019, Keys to Work staff picked up over 42 tons of litter across Indianapolis. Thanks to this partnership, dozens of Keys to Work staff members have found a meaningful job and avoided incarceration.
There are multiple ways everyone can help these crews fighting litter. Motorists should slow down when they see these crews working and give them the space they need. To avoid littering, residents should make sure all waste gets into trash cans, and all trash is secured in bags inside of trash carts.
If residents would like to become more involved with fighting litter, DPW encourages them to contact Keep Indianapolis Beautiful about their Adopt-A-Block program, which empowers neighborhoods to keep their streets, sidewalks, and lawns litter free.