San Francisco has lived with sidewalk litter for a long time. During and after the pandemic, everyday trash and illegal dumping became noticeably worse in many neighborhoods. While the City provides a 311 reporting system, in reality, litter on sidewalks often sits for days or weeks before anything happens.
The reason is structural. The City maintains the streets, but property owners are generally responsible for the sidewalks in front of their buildings. That split leaves many blocks without consistent, day-to-day care for basic litter.
On my own block, the first response was what most neighbors try. We added a trash can and organized volunteer cleanups. It helped—for a short time—but the trash always came back. That’s when one simple truth became clear: a daily problem needs a daily solution.
So we tried something different. A professional cleaner was hired to sweep the sidewalks every day and report dumped items to the City. The change was immediate. The block looked better, people treated it with more respect, and neighbors felt better walking their street. For the first time in years, the sidewalk stayed clean.
Word spread. Neighbors started asking how the same thing could be done on their blocks, and Clean Streets was created to make that possible. It is a community-funded way to keep sidewalks clean through regular, professional service—not occasional volunteer efforts. It gives neighborhoods a simple, reliable way to care for their shared spaces and keep them clean, every day.
James Thompson
Founder
“For the first time in years, the sidewalk stayed clean.”
