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252 cigarette butts (Yes, we counted).

That’s what a small group of volunteers from the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce​ picked up off the streets and sidewalks of downtown Mill Valley on April 25 as part of the City of Mill Valley and Mill Valley Recreation’s annual Beautification Day. With dozens of volunteers turning out to clean up at Boyle and Freeman parks for the City’s “It’s MY Park Day,” the Chamber volunteers focused on downtown.

On the heels of Clean Mill Valley’s cleanup of the Depot Plaza on April 15, Chamber volunteers focused on the parking lots behind the stores on the first block of Miller Avenue, as well as the City Hall parking lot and surrounding streets and sidewalks.

The verdict? The dozens of Mill Valley shop owners who signed Clean Mill Valley’s anti-litter pledge – spearheaded by Greenwood School’s sixth graders – are standing by their pledge and keeping downtown clean. And though still a fledgling organization, Clean Mill Valley itself has been a massive success in both cleaning up our town and galvanizing others to do the same.

All that said, we have a question for smokers: What can residents, business owners and our local officials do to make sure those butts go in the trash? Let us know in the comments!



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