What would get you out of bed early on a Saturday morning? The promise of a coffee date? Hitting the green before the heat starts bearing down?  

For a handful of Maricopa residents, their reason was an opportunity to help clean up a portion of the city.  

A handful of Maricopa residents gathered outside the Maricopa Community Center on Smith-Enke Road at 8 a.m. to pick up litter. Participants spent an hour filling several bags with everything from plastic cups and cigarette butts to batteries and car parts. 

The anti-litter event, part of the citywide Keep Maricopa Beautiful program, equipped participants with bags, gloves, water, snacks and a litter-prone area of the city to clean. 

Nyah Larson, 26, said finding litter in a growing city like Maricopa is expected but residents have a responsibility to help keep it clean.

“I just want to make sure that we as a group are collectively making sure to pick [trash] up rather than just polluting the land,” she said. 

City of Maricopa Cultural Services Supervisor Brenda Campbell told InMaricopa events like this “keep our community beautiful and pristine.” 

“I think our community is a very beautiful [one], and so this event is one way to keep that going,” she said. 

The next clean-up event is scheduled for August 29. To register or suggest an area that could use a little TLC, email [email protected]. 

Lainey Cole grabs a snack during the Keep Maricopa Beautiful event at the Maricopa Community Center on May 30, 2026. [Ryan Tafoya]

A box of collected trash on the sidewalk during the Keep Maricopa Beautiful event at the Maricopa Community Center on May 30, 2026. [Ryan Tafoya]

A full trash bag sits in the dirt during the Keep Maricopa Beautiful event at the Maricopa Community Center on May 30, 2026. [Ryan Tafoya]

Nyah Larson picks up trash during the Keep Maricopa Beautiful event at the Maricopa Community Center on May 30, 2026. [Ryan Tafoya]

Volunteers pose for a photo during the Keep Maricopa Beautiful event at the Maricopa Community Center on May 30, 2026. [Ryan Tafoya]