Picking up Baton Rouge

Keep Tiger Town Beautiful has now collected more than 46,000 bags of litter from Baton Rouge streets since the volunteer effort launched in January 2021.

Why it matters: Four years of early mornings and weekend cleanups have turned one volunteer effort into one of Baton Rouge’s most visible civic success stories.

Details:

• The backstory: Jennifer Richardson and a small group of "litter warriors" launched Keep Tiger Town Beautiful as a weekend cleanup effort in January 2021. It has since grown into a volunteer operation that works six days a week.
• By the numbers: Beyond what's approaching 50,000 bags of Heftys, volunteers have installed and maintained more than 200 public trash bins and removed thousands of illegal signs from utility poles.
• Growing reach: The nonprofit has partnered with local organizations, developed youth education programs and helped launch Keep Jaguar Nation Beautiful to expand the model into North Baton Rouge.
• Recognition: Keep Louisiana Beautiful named the organization its Outstanding Nonprofit for mobilizing hundreds of volunteers during Love the Boot Week.

The bottom line: Keep Tiger Town Beautiful has helped improve public spaces, reduce blight and encourage residents to take greater ownership of their neighborhoods. But the group's ever-growing haul exposes the dirty reality that work remains to be done when it comes to residents taking personal responsibility and showing a modicum of pride in East Baton Rouge Parish.