Check out these field clean-up tips from The Glad Products Company and help keep your field clean and safe for kids to play ball!

Hear what Hall-of-Famer and Little League® graduate Mike Schmidt has to say about field clean-up.

• Carry out what you bring in -- When visiting the ballpark, keep snack wrappers and other debris in a trash bag or backpack until you can put them in a litter basket. If there are no trash receptacles at the field, try tying a trash bag to the bleacher so both parents and children have easy access to throwing items away.
• Pitch in -- Before the game starts, take five minutes to have both teams do a quick field sweep and pick up any litter or field hazards. This will ensure a safe, clean space in which to play and promotes good sportsmanship as the two team share a common goal.
• Make it a (clean-up) party! -- Enlist local organizations as well as team members and their families to participate in a field clean-up event. And since many fields are attached to a park, extend that clean-up to the entire park. Here are a few steps to keep in mind when organizing a clean-up:
  • Set a date -- Give your clean-up team a month to get organized before the big day. Saturday is often the best day for a clean-up. Clean-ups can typically take a half day depending on the size of area and amount of trash.
  • Choose a project coordinator who can survey the area and note any particular issues, make final decisions, assign tasks and serve as a point person the day of the clean-up.
  • Get the word out by creating flyers to enlist volunteers and let the neighborhood know that a clean-up will be taking place. Volunteers can come from everywhere -- start with your team and their families. If the clean-up is bigger, reach out to Boy and Girl Scout leaders, church ministers, local businesses.
  • Arrange to have the collected trash removed by calling the City's sanitation department. Check with local landfill to see if small trash loads can be dropped off by your volunteers.
  • Depending on the amount of work involved in your clean-up, you may require gloves, rakes, shovels or trash bags. Local supermarkets or businesses are a great place to start for donations or tools you can borrow for free.
  • The day of the clean-up, create an area that volunteers can check-in. Offer coffee or juice and assign each person a task or area to work in. Provide water throughout the day.
  • Arrange for a party afterwards to celebrate a job well done. Work with local merchants or restaurants for donations or ask volunteers to bring food, paper plates, soft drinks, etc. Don't ask one merchant or one volunteer to supply everything!
• Keep in touch -- Contact your local sanitation department about your clean-up. They can advise you on any special trash bags and receptacles you may need, or other special requirements.
• Plan with your products -- Unwrap as many of your pre-packaged items as possible at home before you leave. This will cut down on small waste that you'll bring to the game so there is less chance it will get littered or lost in the shuffle.
• Recycle, reduce, reuse -- Instead of bringing sports drinks and water in disposable plastic containers, try reusable storage bottles. Fill a large cooler with a batch of the team's favorite drink and have players refill with their reusable bottle. This will cut down on the amount of trash produced at the games and it benefits the environment.
• Clean the clutter -- Organize and clean-out your kids' equipment bags and your game-day bag or purse. Small pieces of trash can accumulate in these places and in the hustle and bustle of the game can litter the field.
• Pack your snacks -- Bring snacks packed in reusable, disposable containers. It's an easy way to pack healthy snacks, and since they are reusable, they limit waste at home and on the field.
• Set the example -- Always set an example by not littering, no matter where you are.