City of South Fulton launches “So Full, So Clean” campaign to curb litter and raise civic pride

Shaheen Solomon, director of public affairs for the City of South Fulton, presented the city’s new So Full, So Clean beautification campaign Tuesday, April 8, saying the program combines signage, branded trash receptacles, education and partner-led cleanup events to reduce litter and promote civic pride.

The campaign’s first phase centers on large outdoor billboards and branded blue‑and‑green trash receptacles placed at parks, recreation centers and high‑litter transit nodes, Solomon told the council. Solomon said the campaign will dovetail with the city’s strategic plan and include educational outreach, art installations and coordinated events with departments and community partners.

The presentation emphasized three goals: reduce visible litter, make it clearer when people are in the City of South Fulton, and increase resident ownership of public space. Solomon said the city has secured some advertising inventory at MARTA bus stops through a relationship with an advertising firm and will pilot the receptacle design in public spaces and recreation centers.

Why it matters: Council members and staff said litter and poorly maintained commercial plazas are persistent complaints that affect neighborhood appearance, public safety and economic development. Multiple council members pushed for stronger enforcement of existing ordinances and for resources to make the campaign operational, not just promotional.

Council responses and operational details Council members pressed for specific measures to back up the campaign: mandatory trash receptacles and minimum maintenance in shopping plazas; temporary lighting where projects are not yet complete; a maintenance schedule for city‑owned facilities; and improved servicing at busy MARTA bus stops.

Mayor Pro Tem Linda B. Pritchett and Councilwoman Helen Z. Willis highlighted shopping plazas as major problem spots and urged targeted outreach and enforcement of an existing municipal ordinance requiring commercial plazas to provide adequate waste management. City attorney Sarah Kelly reiterated that the city already has a 2023 ordinance (Munic. Code sec. 6‑2013) that requires comprehensive waste services for multi‑tenant commercial plazas and said the city can use those enforcement tools.

Councilwoman Natasha Williams Brown asked whether the campaign’s advertising will include MARTA bus stops; Solomon said city staff secured advertising placements at MARTA bus and station stops through a firm that controls that inventory. Solomon said receptacle prototypes are planned for parks and public spaces and that sanitation and public works will support placement and service.

Council members and staff also discussed technology pilots and past efforts: Councilwoman Willis noted an earlier pilot using sensors on trash cans and said that earlier programs sometimes failed because public works lacked bandwidth to maintain additional receptacles. Councilwoman Carmelita Gumbs and Councilwoman Keosha B. Bell asked for business engagement and façade/parking‑lot improvements as part of the program.

Implementation commitments City Manager Sharon D. Subadan said staff will amplify existing departmental cleaning and maintenance work and add staff resources where needed. Subadan told the council increased street sweeping, targeted pressure washing, improved park maintenance and a strategy for sidewalk repairs will be phased in and scheduled. She said the city will try to coordinate timing so that heavy maintenance does not conflict with high summer park use.

Assistant City Manager (ACM) Davis described a forthcoming formal beautification plan that will include goals, programs, accountability reporting and partner roles. Solomon and ACM Davis said the city will seek funding and partners — including community improvement districts, business groups and advisory boards — to broaden the program beyond initial pilot investments.

Areas of continuing debate Council members pushed staff to move beyond marketing to enforce ordinances already on the books and to set clear service standards for receptacle collection at transit stops and commercial centers. Willis urged prompt action to hold shopping plaza owners accountable, saying many owners do not live in the city and that fines or other enforcement steps should be considered if voluntary compliance fails. Several council members asked staff to examine sensor technology again and to propose a citywide standard for receptacles.

What’s next Solomon and ACM Davis said staff will return with a formal beautification plan and a timeline, and they invited council input on pilot locations and partner outreach. Subadan said additional resources will be allocated and that staff will provide follow‑up updates on specific items raised by council, including signage rollout at transit stops, a maintenance schedule for recreation‑center elevators and a plan to engage shopping‑plaza owners.

Ending: The council did not take a formal vote on the campaign at the meeting; staff framed the presentation as a kickoff and asked for time to develop implementation steps and funding plans.