OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Improving your city can be as easy as putting on some gloves and getting to work.

That’s the goal of OKC Beautiful’s annual LitterBlitz: cleaning the parks and streets, saving taxpayer dollars and improving property values.

“We look at the big litter blitz campaign as a big spring cleaning for the city,” said Natalie Evans with OKC Beautiful. 

Evans and the team at OKC Beautiful are gearing up for next month’s LitterBlitz – getting garbage bags and gloves to those who want to make a difference in their community.

“We engage businesses, civic groups, churches, neighborhoods, families, friends,” Evans said. “Anyone can put together a team to come pick up trash.”

It’s a simple effort that makes sense and cents.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation spends more than $4 million per year to clean up litter statewide – and according to the City of Oklahoma City, litter can lower property values by seven percent.

“So we’re doing our part to take care of the OKC metro area, teaming up with Oklahoma City Parks Department, businesses and organizations across the city to help keep our city clean,” said Evans. 

Evans says the annual event provides other benefits as well.

People get a chance to see parts of the city they may not have known existed – and make friends along the way.

“There’s this social cohesion that occurs as well,” Evans said. “People are coming together for a common purpose. They’re coming together because they care about the city and want to help create a better space.”

LitterBlitz begins in April but they encourage people to keep up the efforts year-round.

OKC Beautiful will provide the supplies you need. Anyone can register at OKC Beautiful’s website.