MILWAUKEE -- City officials kicked off the annual spring clean-up campaign with a stern warning: Clean up or pay up.
Neighborhood Services Commissioner Art Dahlberg says it's a lot less painful to just bend over and pick up trash on your property than it is to foot a $270 bill.
He and other officials addressed fourth graders at Bruce Guadalupe Community School Tuesday before the 10-year-olds hit the dirt to take up trash duty in Walker Square.
Mayor Tom Barrett told the kids this is the time of year when the snow finally melts and we see the grass and a few other surprises that were hiding.
"We also start seeing the garbage that accumulated all winter," said Mayor Barrett.
City officials say 55,000 volunteers with the Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful group help remove debris each year and local businesses donate many tools for the job.
But they say much of the effort to keep the city clean is done by residents who clean up their own property.
"I hear from people, I didn't put it there. Why should I clean it up? It's about having pride in your place," said 12th District Alderman Jim Witkowiak.
Dahlberg says residents can report a property plagued by trash by calling 286-CITY or 286-2489.
He says if the city receives a complaint, the department of neighborhood services sends the owner a clean-up order.
"If the orders don't work, then we hire a vendor to do the clean up and that gets billed against the property owner," explained Dahlberg.
Last year, city officials say they sent out crews to clean up trash at 3,500 properties, with the owners' charged about $300 each.
They say a few simple steps -- like putting food scraps in tightly shut garbage carts and grabbing loose trash blowing around your neighborhood -- would save this expense.
