On October 3rd, Memphis Medical District Collaborative (MMDC), Downtown Memphis Commission, and Street Fair Memphis joined forces with volunteers to clean the corridor along MLK Avenue from Walnut Street to Danny Thomas Boulevard.

The event introduced participants to the new way to care for Memphis streets: hitchable street sweeper attachment that allows cyclists to help clear debris from bike lanes as they ride.

Volunteers began the morning by learning how to safely operate the sweeper before hitting their route. Participants rotated throughout the event, giving volunteers the opportunity to get behind the handlebars and experience the equipment firsthand. While the sweeper made its way along the bike lane, others worked on teams throughout the surrounding area to see who could pick up the most litter and debris in a fun community centered competition.

By the end of the cleanup, volunteers had collected 8 bags of trash from the corridor, leaving the area cleaner and demonstrating what can happen when the community works together to care for shared spaces.

The event was about more than picking up litter. It was about providing an opportunity to test a community-powered solution for maintaining cleaner bike lanes while bringing organizations, cyclists, and volunteers together around a shared goal.

Keeping bike lanes clear of glass, litter, and other debris helps create a cleaner and more welcoming environment for people traveling throughout the area.

MMDC is grateful to our partners and every volunteer who spent their morning helping make a difference and to the League American of Bicyclists for their generous Community Spark Grant that supported the purchase of Memphis’ first bike-powered street sweeper. 

Cleaner streets start with community, and this cleanup showed what can happen when Memphis gets rolling together.

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