Mayor Craig Ford said Gadsden City volunteers and staff collected 26 tons of trash during a recent Earth Day cleanup, and he credited changes to local dumping and street-leaving rules for part of the improvement.

Ford told viewers that 55 volunteers joined city employees for the event. "So this year, like last year, we have our city employees, and then we've also asked the public to participate. And we picked up 26 tons of trash in the city limits of Gadsden," he said.

The mayor said the city visited many of the same spots as the previous year and that crews found several areas cleaner than before. He praised the city litter crew and public works employees and acknowledged that some residents found ordinance changes difficult but effective. "Not everybody loves change...but it's working," Ford said.

Ford also said the cleanup and enforcement have drawn attention from national organizations and local news outlets. He framed the effort as part of a broader push to improve Gadsden's image for economic development and tourism: "When I first came in office...he said, you got a litter problem. Well, then at that point in time, I made a commitment to myself and to you. Hey. We're gonna clean up Gadsden."

City officials did not provide a complete list of neighborhoods covered or a per-site breakdown of tonnage during the mayor's remarks. Ford said some trash remains and that work will continue.

The mayor asked residents to support the effort and thanked employees and volunteers for the cleanup work.