Macon Streets Clean

My name is Garrett Thomson, I am 25 years old, and I have started a project to help the Macon-Bibb community by cleaning up illegal dump sites that have been left unattended.

Here is some back story. This idea spurred when I took a wrong turn off Mercer University Drive leaving church a couple Sundays ago. I was a couple streets behind Howards Pawn (3081, 3085, and 3089 Churchill Street) and I was taken aback. It really pulled at my heart strings seeing children having to navigate the road so littered with trash and that one car could barely make it down a normal neighborhood road. I found the listed owners of the three abandoned lots through the Bibb County Tax Accessors Office and the Tax Commissioners Office. To my dismay I could not locate any owners nor could I see if the city had truly taken control of the properties. I talked to the Bibb County Code Enforcement Office about the idea and they said they would love the help and as a result I made an executive decision to just go for it. I rented a 30 yard dumpster, bought supplies, and I had a group of young adults and college students that helped with the first clean up on the 17th of February.

I received a list of the worst locations used for illegal dumping from the Code Enforcement Office in Bibb County, Georgia, and some of the location I had already found just by driving through the city.

I attached some photos, and I am making a video docuseries about the first cleanup to raise awareness and funds for future clean ups. I have a million thoughts and ideas as to why I feel so motivated to embark on this project, so don’t hesitate to reach out!