Bridgeton Volunteers to Tackle Pamphylia Avenue Dump Site on MLK Day

Volunteers from the Littoral Society, Southeast Gateway Community Action Partnership and United Advocacy Group converged at the Alms Center in Bridgeton on January 15 for a two-hour MLK Day of Service cleanup of a dump site in the woods by Pamphylia Avenue. The event, which ran from 10 a.m. to noon, asked participants to dress warmly; organizers provided gloves and registration had been available online.

The cleanup targeted litter and debris that residents have long complained about in the small forested parcel behind nearby homes. Removing trash from informal dump sites reduces immediate public-health risks such as vermin and standing water, and limits the chance of pollutants entering local storm drains during rain events. For neighbors, the cleanup also improves sight lines and neighborhood morale, factors that matter for property upkeep and community perception.

Community groups framed the effort as part of broader MLK Day of Service activities, linking volunteer stewardship to longer-term goals of reclaiming and maintaining local open space. For municipalities like Bridgeton, volunteer action can lower short-term maintenance burdens; city crews often face tight budgets and must prioritize major hazards over scattered illegal-dump locations. While volunteers cannot replace sustained municipal investment, their work can reduce the frequency of emergency cleanups and strengthen cases for grant funding or public-private partnerships to restore green corridors.

There are economic implications beyond aesthetics. Unchecked dumping can raise cleanup costs for towns and depress nearby property values, while visible community upkeep can help preserve neighborhood stability. The Littoral Society and partner organizations pointed residents toward membership and donation pages to support future work and to a registration mechanism used for coordinating volunteers, signaling an intent to scale similar efforts across Cumberland County’s open spaces.

Organizers emphasized practical steps for participants: dress for cold weather and plan for two hours of outdoor labor; gloves and basic coordination were provided at the Alms Center, 1 Martin Luther King Jr Way. The hands-on work included bagging litter and removing small bulk items where possible; heavier removal and formal remediation still fall to municipal crews or contracted services when needed.

For Bridgeton residents, the cleanup is both immediate relief for neighborhoods near Pamphylia Avenue and a reminder that local stewardship has measurable economic and environmental value. Continued volunteer activity, combined with targeted municipal policy - such as increased monitoring, better bulk-waste pickup options, and grant-seeking for habitat restoration - will determine whether a single day of service becomes the start of a sustained recovery for the town’s green spaces.