Say Hello to the Kensington Trash Mob

, the former traffic bump-out turned sweet neighborhood sitting space at Church Avenue and Beverley Road, is looking clean and shiny—thanks entirely to a group of civic-minded residents called the Kensington Trash Mob.

Several of the group's neon green-vested members made an appearance at Tuesday's Community Board 12 meeting. 

"I think we're doing pretty well, all things considered," said Bridget Elder, one of the roughly 12 volunteers who takes time each week to collect other people's misplaced detritus from around the plaza.

"We still have the problem of McDonald and Church, but that's beyond our control," she said, citing the city's failure to regularly empty the intersection's scant three trashcans as the primary obstacle to a garbage-free area. 

J.C. Martinez-Sifre, another dedicated mob member, said calling 311 every day has in the past helped ensure that the cans get emptied—but don't expect the city to pick up the slack by itself. 

"When we [called 311], the litter problem ended for about two weeks," he said. "We stopped calling 311, and the trash cans stopped getting emptied." 

Want to become a Trash Mobber? Email evergreen827@aol.com for more information.