"Since San Jose has become a national and international model for graffiti cleanup, the next step is litter cleanup," said Rob Boyles, coordinator of volunteers for the department.

In the last seven years, the city has been able to reduce graffiti by 97 percent, he said.

The anti-litter program, adopted two years ago, identifies illegal dumping problem areas and names them "adopt-a-spots." Council members from each district select the adopted areas in their district, which are then approved by the city council.

From there, the city concentrates cleanup efforts in that particular area, calling on the community for volunteers and watchdogs. In exchange, the city provides the community with supplies including bags and labels that are stamped with the anti-litter program name. The city uses the labels to track how much trash is picked up from each area and to monitor how often the community is picking up litter.

Boyles said that frequency of cleanup is a major issue. He said that this is the reason the city goes out to the community and asks for a commitment from a single volunteer or group of volunteers in the neighborhood. These volunteers will then go out once a week to clean the area and keep track of how much litter they pick up. At the end of the month, the program calls the volunteers to make sure they have been removing the litter and to find out how much was picked up.

Areas that are kept clean have a tendency to stay clean, Boyles said

When the program was started in 2003, there were 15 "adopt-a-spots" in each district, totaling 150 spots throughout the city.

The current number of adopt-a-spots has grown with the addition of five spots per district, including the newest one in North Willow Glen.

Teri Allen from the anti-litter program met with members of the Greater Gardner community at both the Greater Gardner Coalition and Gardner Neighborhood Action Council on Aug. 22 and Aug. 24 to discuss the program's objective and partnership.

Kevin Christman, chairman of the Greater Gardner Coalition, said incorporating the North Willow Glen Gardner area into the program was a pleasant surprise.

"Hopefully, the addition of our neighborhood to this program will give us more pull," he said. "In the past, we couldn't be proactive, we had to be reactive."

Prior to their participation, residents had been picking up litter in their neighborhood, but as soon as they removed a large item or had it picked up by the city, there was more dumping or littering.

Christman said his neighbors' complained numerous times about the illegal dumping on Prevost and W. Virginia streets.

"We have had both Caltrans and the city coming out and cleaning," he said. "It's been a mess because of the multi-jurisdictions along this area."

Gardner resident Norma Mendez is enthusiastic about the program, but she hopes the city will take a look at other parts of the neighborhood that are in need of cleanup.

"Our neighborhood is unique in that we have a park, a community center, a school, liquor stores and Highway 87 that are all very close together," she said. "And as a result, we have many pockets where illegal dumping occurs."

Mendez's neighbors on Fuller Avenue have had the same issue for years and battled the dumping problem by putting a decorative fence around one of these problematic pockets.

Now, this stretch of unused land from Prevost Street to Bird Avenue is being converted into a park for the residents.

The anti-litter program will have people out surveying the area. The program coordinators hope to put up signs and surveillance cameras to discourage the dumpers, Boyles said.

Fines for littering are $1,000 but when illegal dumping is involved the offense can range from a misdemeanor to a felony.

For more information on volunteering for the cleanup of an adopt-a-spot location or to learn more about the city's anti-litter program, contact Rob Boyles at 408.277. 3208 or visit www.sanjoseca.gov/ prns/ .