This Saturday, Ironton is beginning its Team Up to Clean Up attack on the litter and trash that is such an issue.

On Friday, some 80 students from St. Joseph High School will be cleaning up the downtown area.

Starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, volunteers from civic groups, city union employees, the minor league football team Buccaneers, a nursing group from Ohio University Southern and people in the Land of Goshen recovery group will meet at the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District office behind Wendy’s.

“We’re kicking it off there,” said Ironton Mayor Katrina Keith, adding that crews will work until 11:30 or noon. “We will be tackling the riverfront, the area around the bridge, Memorial Hall, the area around the Ironton sign on Park Avenue and anything the kids from St. Joseph didn’t get in the downtown.”

Keith said she appreciates so many people helping to clean up Ironton, although she finds it disheartening that so many residents continue to leave their trash for others to clean up. And the city is planning to get more aggressive in making people clean up their messes.

“So, we are going to combat that this year,” Keith said. “So at the same time we are promoting people in the community get involved and take pride, we are going to be holding people accountable now. That has never been done in the past.”

That accountability will be that the city will give people a way to get rid of trash and then they are going to see that people have cleaned up their property.

The first part is that, starting Monday-May 11, the city will have dumpsters for residents to dispose of one truckload of junk for free.

The dumpsters are located at the Orchard Street area by Storms Creek Bridge. The bins will be behind a gate and people will have to show proof of city residency with an ID card or Ironton utility bill. Keith added there are some things that cannot be dumped including electronics, tires, batteries, gasoline, paint or any other harmful byproduct. Construction materials will not be accepted either.

“Following that, on May 13, we will canvass the entire city,” Keith said. “Groups will go up every alley, every street and anybody that did not partake in the cleanup day will be given a warning letter to get their yards cleaned up.”

And if the resident doesn’t get the mess cleaned up, the city will cite them into Ironton Municipal Court.

“We will let Judge Kevin Waldo determine what they have to do,” Keith said. And if the cases go like the ones that the solid waste district takes to Common Pleas Court, the offender can be fined up to $500 and still have to clean up their trash.

“Whatever the law permits,” Keith said. “So, I think it would be easier to take advantage of our free services than get a $500 fine from the judge.”

Keith said that this event is to showcase community involvement.

“We don’t want it to be an entitlement program, it’s about showing the young people and those that are older, that we have to get involved and give back to the community.”