How a Phoenix litter-lifting group helped me feel more connected to my neighbors

The Garfield neighborhood’s Litter Lifters group does more than just beautify the area—it also serves as an easy way to make connections. 

This story first appeared in Rent Check PHX, a biweekly newsletter made for Phoenix renters, written by someone who’s lived it. Sign up for it here.

After moving into my current neighborhood—the Garfield Historic District in downtown Phoenix—one of my first thoughts was, how do I find community here? 

Gabriella Saavedra made it easy for me. Saavedra, who has lived in the neighborhood for nearly a decade, runs an Instagram account that pulls together all the goings-on of the area, including the Litter Lifters group she runs with her husband Andrew Raub and neighbor Raleigh Dombek. 

The group meets every second Saturday morning of the month—at least when it’s not super hot out. The location rotates, with neighbors and local businesses taking turns volunteering to host. Neighbors arrive, pick up trash for about an hour with materials provided by Saavedra and Raub, then come back together for coffee, snacks, and socializing. 

And maybe the best part: Everyone takes turns introducing themselves and sharing the most interesting piece of trash they found, like Pokémon cards, a Coach hangtag, or hair extensions. It’s a friendly competition for bragging rights and a spot on the group’s shared trophy. 

The Garfield Litter Lifters gathering before they pick up trash—I’m second from the left! (Photo by Elaine Kresta)

“I think it’s a really great way to have neighbors meet in a really low stakes way. I mean, we advertise it as, like, just show up,” Saavedra told me in an interview. “We have the pickers. We have the gloves, hand sanitizer, garbage bags. We even throw away the trash for you.” 

This is exactly what enticed me to show up to my first Litter Lifters event about two years ago. Beyond a few special events where neighbors have been asked to bring treats for a cookie exchange or canned food after Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were cut, participating is really as simple as arriving ready to lend a hand. 

Two years ago, Saavedra took over the group, which has been around for about five years. She said attendance has been low some months—one time it was just her, her husband, the group’s previous leader, and the neighborhood chickens. But even when that happened, she remained motivated by the group’s mission to better the neighborhood. 

When people did come, she said, something clicked. “They started to recognize each other, or they would be like, ‘Oh, where do you live?’ ‘I live here.’ There was a lot of community support,” she said. 

RELATED: I became friends with my neighbors to stop porch pirates. Here’s what happened next

Even neighbors who didn’t join in noticed. People called out thanks from their lawns or car windows, and posts of appreciation appeared in the neighborhood’s Facebook group. 

Now, dozens of people regularly come to Litter Lifters—so many that Saavedra joked it sometimes feels like herding cats to get everyone moving at 9 a.m. because so many are chatting.

She is intentional about keeping the group welcoming to everyone, whether they’re homeowners or renters (like me!), young or old. She also sees the group as a bridge to other ways to get involved locally, like Really Really Free Markets or the neighborhood’s community fridges. 

“I think people sometimes think that you have to be friends with everybody,” she said, “and you don’t have to be friends to be in community—you could just be neighbors.”

Litter Lifters has been such a highlight of my time living in Garfield. I appreciate that it’s not just about people gathering, but also a practical way to take ownership of the space we share and keep it clean and beautiful for everybody. 

While Litter Lifters isn’t where I’ve made my closest friends, Saavedra is right: Connecting with community doesn’t always have to mean that. What it has done is expand my circle in the neighborhood, introducing me to people I likely wouldn’t have met otherwise. Through the group, I’ve been able to tour a neighbor’s home that resembled one I was considering buying, check out the open house of a realtor I met during a cleanup, and gain more familiar faces to say hi to during my walks. 

Most importantly, I leave every litter-lifting session in a better mood, whether that’s from doing something good, spending a Saturday morning outside on my feet, or feeling more connected to where I live.

I asked Saavedra what people who crave this kind of thing can do if their neighborhood doesn’t have a similar group or initiative. 

“I think the main thing is to just get started, pick a date, gather your friends, gather your neighbors, and make it as easy as possible for people to come out and get together,” she said. 

Here are some of her other tips: 

• Make the event the same time every month. 
• Check out dollar stores for garbage pickers. 
• Post about the event on social media. 
• Take advantage of people’s skills—have people who are good at fundraising ask local businesses for donations of coffee, pastries, or supplies, and have people who enjoy entertaining host the group.

I know if I move into a new neighborhood, I’ll look for a trash pickup group right away. Even if it’s just for an hour on a Saturday morning, there’s something about showing up, connecting with neighbors, and maybe even finding the weirdest piece of trash of the day that makes you feel like part of a community.

Correction: This story was updated to reflect the correct timeframe for when Saavedra took over the group.