Memphis Athletics and Nobody Trashes Tennessee Team Up for Blue & Gray Cleanup Day on April 22

Memphis Athletics and Nobody Trashes Tennessee Team Up for Blue & Gray Cleanup Day on April 22

Approximately 100 student-athletes to volunteer
Tuesday, April 21, 2026 | 08:54am MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis Athletics and the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) Nobody Trashes Tennessee litter prevention campaign are joining forces for the annual Blue & Gray Cleanup Day. Scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, from 9:15 – 11:00 a.m., the community cleanup includes coaches, student-athletes, and athletic department staff, with support from TDOT, Keep Tennessee Beautiful, Memphis City Beautiful, and the Shelby County Roads, Bridges, and Engineering Department.

“Memphis Athletics is proud to take part in the sixth annual Blue & Gray Cleanup Day,” said Ed Scott, University of Memphis Senior Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. “Our student-athletes, coaches and staff embrace the opportunity to serve and make a meaningful impact across our campus community. We value our continued partnership with the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Nobody Trashes Tennessee initiative, and we look forward to this event each year as a chance to support a shared commitment to keeping Tennessee clean and beautiful.”

The annual event focuses on cleaning up several streets around the University of Memphis campus and surrounding neighborhoods. In addition to enhancing the beauty of Memphis communities, the cleanup aims to raise awareness of the litter problem in Tennessee and encourage community involvement in keeping Tennessee clean and beautiful.

Across Tennessee, there are more than 88 million pieces of litter on our public roads, and we all must do our part to help end littering. Litter harms the environment, pollutes our waterways, endangers wildlife, and takes away from the natural beauty of our state. It also comes at a significant cost, with TDOT spending more than $37 million each year on litter prevention and cleanup efforts.

“We are proud to partner once again this year to foster teamwork and collaboration, while raising awareness about litter prevention, and to support efforts to keep Memphis litter-free. Events like this highlight the power of community and the impact we can make when we work together,” said Victoria Cooper, TDOT Highway Beautification Office. “These volunteers join thousands of Tennesseans committed to keeping our state clean, safe, and beautiful through cleanup events on Earth Day and as part of the Great American Cleanup in celebration of America 250.”

All year long, Nobody Trashes Tennessee partners with organizations like Memphis Athletics on cleanup events across the state. Learn more about the state’s litter reduction and education efforts and how to help end littering at NobodyTrashesTennessee.com. Two ways to get involved include the no-cost Adopt-A-Highway Program and reporting littering incidents through the Tennessee Litter Hotline (1-877-8LITTER).

DATE + TIME: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
9:15 – 11:00 a.m.

LOCATION: University of Memphis, 507 Houston Street, Memphis, TN

WHO

Nearly 100 volunteer athletes
Memphis Athletics, University of Memphis
Tennessee Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) Nobody Trashes Tennessee
Memphis City Beautiful
Keep Tennessee Beautiful

EVENT MEDIA CONTACTS

Nichole Lawrence, TDOT Region 4
Communications Officer
731.935.0318

Matthew Carpenter, Memphis Athletics,
University of Memphis
901.323.6618

Monica Kizer, Communications Coordinator,
Keep Tennessee Beautiful
901.678.419

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Athletics, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on X, Instagram and Facebook.

About Nobody Trashes Tennessee Nobody Trashes Tennessee (NTT) is the State of Tennessee’s official litter prevention campaign managed by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). The campaign is rooted in research conducted by TDOT in 2016, including a “Visible Litter Study” that found that, despite a 53 percent drop in roadside trash between 2006 and 2016, there are still 88 million pieces of litter on the state’s roadways at any given time. TDOT spends more than $37 million annually on litter pickup and prevention. Learn more about the state’s litter reduction and education efforts and how to get involved in your community at NobodyTrashesTennessee.com. Find a cleanup event near you by visiting the NTT event calendar. Two additional ways to get involved include the no-cost Adopt-A-Highway program and reporting littering incidents through the Tennessee Litter Hotline (1-877-8LITTER). Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and X.