LITTER CAMPAIGN
WINDSOR
Have you seen creek critters like these cleaning up litter in your neighborhood? It’s time to pitch in and help your furry and feathered friends!
E.P.I.C - WINDSOR
Every Piece Inspires Change, or E.P.I.C., has come to Windsor! Trash in our creeks, rivers, and oceans is a major pollutant of concern for our environment. As our society has grown to utilize more single use plastics such as water bottles, food packaging, grocery bags, etc., we all must do our part to take simple actions which have big impacts in limiting these items from entering our waterways and negatively impacting wildlife which inhabit them.
Within the Town of Windsor the area of Hembree Lane between Victory Lane and Shiloh Road and the Shiloh Center shopping center has been defined as the area with highest litter concentration. We are launching our EPIC trash campaign to get the community involved in keeping this area litter free! Compounded across approximately 482 cities throughout California, the collective impact of keeping trash out of our creeks will be significant.
Trash and other pollutants are easily transported from streets to creeks by entering the storm drain system through wind or flowing into it when it rains. A problem as big as trash in our creeks needs everyone to step in to find the solution. We welcome you to take that first step towards inspiring change. We invite you to find purpose. We invite you to make an impact.
We invite you to be EPIC!
The Campaign
When – April 22nd, 2025 through July 4th, 2025
E.P.I.C Clean Up Event on Earth Day
To kick off the EPIC Campaign on Hembree, Windsor will host an EPIC Clean Up on Earth Day
Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 4pm - 5:30pm. Meet at Victory Lane near Hembree Lane.
Who
The Town of Windsor is launching an EPIC outreach campaign on Hembree Lane and in the Shiloh Center as a low cost alternative for eliminating trash from entering our community storm drains. To be successful, we need help from residents, community groups, and businesses in Windsor to join us and take action together to eliminate trash from entering our storm drains and polluting our local waterways, like Windsor Creek! Partners in the area and organizations like Sonoma County Resource Recovery have already joined in to help make Windsor EPIC!
What
To build awareness in Windsor, images of creek critters, like birds, otters, and squirrels will be installed along Hembree Road (insert shopping center) reminding all of us that our streets connect to our creeks. And our creeks are their home! Each critter is holding a piece of refuse identified by a specific color: Blue represents recycling, Green represents compostables, and Pink represents trash! Look for these unique art pieces around the area as you experience Windsor. But don’t be siloed into only looking at business windows and trash cans, sometimes the biggest artwork is up high in the sky in other local cities! Come see if you can find all the unique critters throughout the Russian River Watershed!
Public perception is a major part of a trash free community. Studies have shown when an area is clean and litter free, people are less likely to exhibit behaviors which lead to increased trash on streets. Our Earth Day cleanup event is focused on starting with a clean slate in the highest trash areas to inspire community members and visitors to properly dispose of litter.
Removing barriers to put trash in its place is another major step towards a clean community. Windsor has trash and recycling receptacles throughout the campaign area and our EPIC campaign will encourage community members and visitors to use them!
Where
The EPIC Campaign is a trash reduction pilot program along the section of Hembree Lane, between Victory Land and Shiloh Road and within the Shiloh Center shopping center. This area has been defined as a high litter section of Windsor.
Why
The effectiveness of the EPIC pilot program will inform and assist the Town, businesses, and residences towards future implementation efforts town wide required for compliance of the statewide trash amendment.
In Windsor, storm drains are connected directly to creeks, like Windsor and Pool Creeks, which flow untreated to Mark West Creek and on to the Russian River. (Learn about the path from Windsor storm drains to the Pacific Ocean.) Due to this direct connection, trash and litter entering a storm drain from private, residential and business properties or public streets can easily impact the health of our waterways. To protect our waterways, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted a statewide provision banning any trash 5mm (the width of a cigarette butt) or larger from entering storm drain by 2030.
Within the Town of Windsor trash is removed from our creeks throughout the year. Compounded across approximately 482 cities statewide, the collective impact of trash on our environment is significant.
The sewer system and storm drain system are two completely separate networks. The storm drain system allows rainwater during storms to flow directly to the nearest creek or river untreated. Potential pollutants such as trash, oil, soap, sediment, or other contaminants can easily enter our waterways.
If the campaign is effective, it would be a lower cost solution for implementation across the town. And more importantly, it will show how valuable the Windsor community is as a clean, trash free area for others to shop, dine, and play!
Campaign Duration
The pilot study will kick off with a community clean-up on Earth Day 2025, April 22nd and will end during the first week of July.
