- In Portland, Oregon, Transit Clean Team Breaks Annual Cleanup Record, And “Provide Extra Eyes On The System,” Improving “Safety, Helping Riders Feel… Comfortable.” For TriMet News Tyler Graf reports on TriMet public transit’s Clean Team crews breaking an annual record having engaged in cleanups on the city’s public transit system “more than 100,000 times” in 2025. The team works seven days a week removing “trash, graffiti, spills… pressure-washing platforms and cleaning trains throughout the day” and through the night providing “extra eyes on the system to ensure spaces feel safer, look better and remain inviting for riders.” As TriMet details, the clean team, outfitted in highly visible, bright green vests and jackets, has two core functions—first, of course, keeping transit clean and orderly, and second, being “out in force… reinforcing safety through their presence… [which] discourages vandalism, increases visibility and contributes to stronger safety outcomes” for riders and residents.
In Washington, D.C., Clean Team Keeps Downtown Safer And Cleaner, “All While Having A Smile On Their Face And Helping Any Visitor That May Cross Their Path.” For WTOP, Luke Lukert reports on the city’s new clean team, outfitted in bright red jackets and hats, who address everything from trash pickup, graffiti removal, street sweeping, needle cleanup to “spots that need more attention and maintenance, like busted street lights or broken benches and masonry in need of repair”—all while keeping an extra set of eyes on local businesses, and helping residents and visitors get to shops and transit safely. Each clean team member works “10-hour shifts… [and] patrols [a] roughly seven or eight block zone” and is equipped with everything “from grabbers and brooms, to leaf blowers and trash bags… [all loaded up on a] mobile trash cart hybrid.”
In Scranton, Pennsylvania, Clean Team Playing “Significant Role In How People Perceive The District, Its Economic Stability, And Opportunities For Future Growth.” Discover NEPA reports on the new clean team improving “cleanliness, appearance and visitor experience in the downtown business district.” The team does “sidewalk sweeping, graffiti removal, picking up litter, weed whacking, maintaining planters, snow and ice removal from sidewalk ramps and fire hydrants, event preparation and answering visitor questions about parking and amenities downtown.” Leslie Collins, president of Scranton Tomorrow, which oversees the clean team, explained the vital public safety role the team plays: “It’s a great feeling to glance down the street and see a cleaner landscape void of litter and weeds. The physical appearance of downtown plays a significant role in how people perceive the district in its entirety, its economic stability, and opportunities for future growth.”
