"I can't do anything about some of these big problems that the world and the city are facing. But I can do one modicum of something nice. So she started cleaning up. Ellen Baum's trash-collecting crusade gained the attention of local media and concerned New Yorkers who have joined the effort to clean up a bridge she considers her back yard."
"The Brooklyn Bridge, which turns 143 this year, is one of the titans of New York's skyline. It is heavily trafficked—the city's department of transportation estimates 28,845 pedestrians traverse it each day. But the National Landmark is also a dumping ground. Since at least the mid-2000s, lovers have etched their names on locks, attached them to the bridge, and thrown the keys into the water below."
"It took her eight days and about 16 hours to finish clearing the north side of the littered section, with Baum putting in 90-minute to two-hour shifts. You can find community in the strangest places, she said."
Ellen Baum, a 37-year-old tech worker living in Brooklyn Heights, began cleaning the Brooklyn Bridge after witnessing extensive litter and vandalism covering the historic structure. Motivated by feeling helpless about larger global problems, she decided to take action on something within her control. Over eight days, working 90-minute to two-hour shifts, Baum removed dirty tissues, hair ties, trash bags, socks, condoms, and tampons from the bridge's frame. Her efforts attracted media attention and inspired local New Yorkers to join the cleanup initiative. The Brooklyn Bridge, a 143-year-old National Landmark, experiences approximately 28,845 daily pedestrian crossings but has served as a dumping ground since at least the mid-2000s, with visitors leaving love locks and hanging personal items as vandalism.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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