Adopt-A-Dumpster™

Adopt a dumpster.
Protect a watershed.

A community clean-water program that makes an overlooked problem visible—and gives residents, businesses, sponsors, and cities a simple way to take part.

Community-led
Sponsor-friendly
Free public education
Built for local pilots
Why this matters

Most people never connect a dumpster to clean water.

The problem is easy to miss because it happens behind the building.

That is exactly why the program is designed to make the issue visible, understandable, and shareable.

Rain moves things.Loose trash, residue, liquids, and exposed material can travel with runoff.
Storm drains connect communities.What leaves one property can move into streets, drains, channels, creeks, and other waterways.
Visibility changes behavior.Simple education and routine attention can make a hidden issue part of everyday stewardship.
How it works

Simple enough to start small.

A local program can begin with one supporter, one property, one sponsor, or one willing city contact.

01

Choose a place

Identify a property, business area, school, community site, or pilot area where education and participation make sense.

02

Make it visible

Use education, QR tools, sponsor support, local outreach, and approved stewardship activities to bring attention to the issue.

03

Share what happened

Document participation, lessons learned, site conditions, and reliable outcomes that can help the next community do it better.

New flagship participation program

Help Map America’s Trash System™

We’re preparing the first community-mapping pilot: TEMECULA 500. The goal is 500 verified commercial waste-location observations using a privacy-first, improvement-focused model.

Who can take part

There is more than one way in.

Residents

Add your city, share the program, and help build visible local support.

Join

Businesses

Participate at a property, support education, or help connect the program locally.

Contact us

Sponsors

Fund outreach, education, community activation, or other defined nonprofit work.

Sponsor

Cities

Test a small voluntary pilot focused on education, participation, and lessons learned.

Pilot
For cities

Start with a pilot, not a giant commitment.

Choose a manageable area, define what you want to learn, and test the community-education model before deciding whether it deserves to grow.

See the pilot model
Free education

Use it. Share it. Teach it.

The program works better when people understand the issue before anyone asks them to act.

5-minute guide

Stormwater 101

Where rain goes after it hits pavement—and what it can carry with it.

Read the guide →
Quick checklist

10-Point Waste Area Check

A practical visual check for lids, overflow, leaks, residue, loose trash, and drain pathways.

Open the checklist →
For families & schools

The Hidden Life of Wet Waste

A story-driven way to explain waste, water, and pollution to younger audiences.

Explore the library →

Your city can be next.

Add your support, get the free Starter Pack, and help us show where communities want the program.

Adopt-A-Dumpster™ is a Secure Structure Alliance community education and participation program. It does not replace permits, inspections, enforcement, engineering, legal requirements, or property-owner responsibilities.