Jacksonville teacher picks up 500,000 pieces of trash in effort to clean up her community

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (WSVN) — A teacher in Jacksonville hit a new record in her effort to clean up her community.

Emily Smith recently picked up her 500,000th piece of litter while live on TikTok, where she documents her good deed.

She said her mission began as a fitness journey in 2024, but since then, it has become an effort to keep the planet clean after she saw a lot of litter around her city and decided to start picking it up.

“We all live here, and we all share this one place. So to allow something else to ruin a place, I feel like I’m just as responsible. If I see the problem and I don’t do something about it.”

Throughout her journey, she’s gained 77,000 social media followers who have joined her in the clean-up effort.

Smith said her students also join her at recess to pick up trash in the community.