Brady Street Festival organizers urge people be patient as they clean area of garbage

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This weekend’s Brady Street Festival brought out 50,000 people, producing enough trash to fill at least three industrial sized dumpsters.


Even with cleanup underway Sunday, neighbors who live off of Brady Street say year after year, they're still finding trash left on their yards.


Organizers say at this year's festival they added more dumpsters. They’re asking people in the neighborhood give them a little bit of time after the festival wraps up to make sure the leftover garbage is picked up by the cleanup crew.


The festival crew leaves at 3 a.m. Sunday, allows the street sweeper to come through while they take a break, and then comes back for another round of cleanup. 


"So we just need a quick couple hour nap and then we're back at it the next day to make sure it's all cleaned up and looking respectable again," said Steph Salvia, Executive Director of Brady Street Business Improvement District.


Some say they’re shocked at how clean Brady Street is the day after.


"Looking at the street now it's pretty shocking that there was actually a festival here yesterday because it is so pristine and clean,” said Liz Hanley, who lives nearby.


People in the neighborhood say the organizers may do a good job of keeping Brady Street clean, but the side streets they live on are a mess. 


"I live right off of Astor, just a half a block off of Brady Street and we have beer cans and trash just everywhere,” said Heather Coning, who lives off of Brady Street. “I think people leave Brady Street and just start walking towards their cars and then dump it because there are no trash cans.”


Coning, who's lived in the area for four years says she's spending part of her day picking up garbage.


"I think it's just up to us as community members to take care of it, it seems like anyway,” adds Coning.


Salvia says Brady Street Festival cleanup can always use more volunteers. Every year they hire a detailing company to help to take care of leftover garbage.


"We basically just start picking up all of the leftover cups, bottles and beer bottles and stuff like that from the sidewalks, empty lots inside people's gangways, and just pretty much get it all cleaned up so the neighbors don't complain," said Jerry Johnson, Owner of MKE Property Detailing.


Still, Coning wants to see more of an effort to help those who live nearby.


"Next year if they could just more receptacles outside of Brady Street just on the blocks that are near Brady Street would be very helpful for people,” adds Coning. “There really isn't a place for anybody to throw any trash right off of Brady Street."


Salvia says next year's cleanup plan will stay the same.


The organizers are also staying proactive with recycling. All cans recycled during the festival were donated to help Dryhootch, a nonprofit organization helping military veterans.

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