Here's something that is good for you and the community. And it's free with no strings attached.

Grab friends, family or neighbors and pick a day and place to make a difference in Plainfield by simply picking up garbage wherever and whenever feasible. Plus, you can get rid of some of your electronic leftovers and feel good about the purge.

Conservation Plainfield's inaugural Clean-Up Week will be Saturday through Oct. 23. There is no need to register or declare your chosen clean-up area. Residents are simply encouraged to make a difference – and get a bit of exercise and fresh air in the process – by tackling garbage strewn about Plainfield parks, roadways and neighborhoods.

"It's easy. Grab a friend and spend 15 minutes outside and clean up areas that bother you," Conservation Plainfield member Barbara Seiden said.

A mother of two, Seiden proposed the idea for Clean-Up Week shortly after joining Conservation Plainfield six months ago.

"I walk a lot with my kids for exercise and to save gas," she said. "There's stuff blowing all over the place. Plainfield is very windy and people don't always secure their garbage. There's a lot of land out there that nobody has the responsibility to clean up. The parks have limited personnel and the natural preserves and larger parks are difficult to canvas."

Conservation Plainfield, a nonprofit cooperative created in 2001, partnered with the village of Plainfield for the project, and Mayor Michael Collins declared it Plainfield Clean-Up Week. The theme is "It's our community. Let's all help keep it looking its best!"

To kick off the week, Conservation Plainfield, the village and the Will County Land Use Department invite residents to drop off old televisions, printers, VCRs and such for proper disposal during the Electronic Waste Collection Day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Plainfield Public Works Department, 14400 Coil Plus Drive.

Beyond the scheduled electronics collection, Clean-Up Week is a free-form event, with residents, organizations and businesses encouraged to participate at their leisure and preferred locale.

"These areas could be somewhere they frequently visit, common areas or a vacant lot within their subdivision or a trail they hike," said Cameron Bettin, Conservation Plainfield president and Plainfield Park District's superintendent of planning. "Those that get involved with the Plainfield Clean-Up Week initiative are accomplishing three things: improving the aesthetics of the community, cleaning up the environment and hopefully satisfying oneself by doing a good dead."

After all, litter is not just unsightly, he said. It can harm the environment. To that effect, Conservation Plainfield hopes to turn Clean-Up Week into a spring and fall affair.

"People can clean up at a time and place that's convenient," Seiden said. "The whole idea is to get out there. It's really easy to make a difference."

Her competitive nature has driven her to form a neighborhood competition of sorts. She invited neighbors and friends via Facebook to clean and compete.

In addition to grassroots neighborhood square-offs, organizations participating in the inaugural event include Wesmere Country Club, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, Jewel of South Plainfield, and the Plainfield Junior Women's Club.

"The basic tenet of scouting is helping out and includes conserving our environment," Cub Scouts Pack 91 leader Bob Stone said. "The Plainfield Clean-Up Week provides us with the opportunity to live our scouting promise and provide a valuable service."

Some 15 Cub Scouts from Pack 91 and their siblings and parents will clean up Mather Woods on Saturday.

Members of the Plainfield Junior Women's Club and families have chosen to clean up Settler's Park and the downtown area on Saturday and Oct. 20.

"The downtown area is of special interest to us because we hold our monthly meetings downtown and several of our members work there as well," said Brooke Simpson, the club's conservation and publicity chairperson. "The mission of PJWC is to provide community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service."

Other Clean-Up Week details:

• Individuals and organizations participating in Clean-Up Week are invited to submit photographs and stories to Conservation Plainfield to post on the group's Web site. Provide a list of participants, a short description of your work and photos to info@conservationplainfield.com or contact Barbara Seiden at (815) 230-9313.
• Suggested clean-up sites include Mather Woods, Eaton Preserve, Van Horn Woods, Four Seasons/Avery Preserve, Norman Greenway, Canterbury Woods, Clearwater Springs, Settlers Park, Fort Beggs Bike Trail North and South, Great Divide Bike Trail and Normantown Bike Trail.
• The Plainfield Township Park District will provide garbage bags upon request and will pick up trash for clean-up efforts for in-scope park district spaces. For road corridors, contact the village of Plainfield via e-mail at info@conservationplainfield.com.
• If cleaning up a park area provided by the Plainfield Park District or a road corridor provided by the village of Plainfield, contact the appropriate agency as to the location where filled bags should be left for pick-up.
• When placing recyclables and garbage out at your residential curb on pick-up day by your waste hauler, be sure to pack them securely so they do not get tipped over and blown around your neighborhood. This defeats the purpose of cleaning up an area and adds to the problem.
• Volunteers may keep aluminum cans or scrap metal for their own benefit.  Valuables, such as purses and wallets, should be given to the Plainfield Police Department for return to their proper owner or authorities.