Do you live in a neighborhood that's started to look worn out and dilapidated? Are you and other neighbors on your block discussing how to spruce things up and get the neighborhood looking attractive again? Looking old and worn out is something that happens to many neighborhoods. Fortunately, there are always things that you can do to help get your neighborhood looking vibrant and alive again. Some things that you and your neighbors can try include:

Neighborhood cleanup day: One thing that can make a neighborhood look neglected is having various pieces of broken-down garden furniture and other large items sitting outside. These items are too big to go in the regular trash cans and so they sit around with the owners planning to take them to the dump. When the owner is too busy for this, the furniture continues to just sit around, looking unsightly. But if you and your neighbors all pitch in, you can rent one or more roll off dumpsters to take these things away. On the appointed day, everyone can throw away whatever outdoor trash that they've been accumulating. Have a volunteer team ready to assist elderly neighbors or with the removal of exceptionally large items.

Neighborhood barbecue/picnic: It's hard to care about your neighborhood if you don't know your neighbors. Even after the large bits of junk have been taken away in the roll off dumpsters, it'll be all too easy with some people for the habit of having an unkempt yard to creep back in. A neighborhood barbecue, potluck, picnic, or something similar is a great way for everyone to get together and meet each other. If several of the households on the block have kids, make arrangements for a group activity for the children so that the parents can meet and greet everyone without having to constantly supervise their kids.

Neighborhood lawn care: One of the fastest ways for a neighborhood to look neglected once the trash has been thrown out in roll off dumpsters is for the lawns to become overgrown and weedy. Although necessary, not everyone is physically able to tend to their lawns as often as they should. Of the people who are unable to tend to their lawns, many are unable to afford professional landscapers to handle the task for them. If you can set up a volunteer lawn care group that can do watering, pull weeds and/or mow the lawns of these neighbors once or twice a month, your neighborhood will start to look quite attractive.

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