What to watch: On Saturday morning, volunteers of Basin Action Day will spend two hours picking up litter in neighborhoods, parks, and other community spaces across Midland and Odessa. The third Basin Action Day runs from 8–10 a.m. on Nov. 7 and is open to individuals, families, coworkers, schools, churches, and community groups.

“Whether you’re a team of one or a crew of 50, there’s a place for you,” project organizers said. Cleanup supplies such as safety vests, gloves, and trash bags will be provided.

The big picture: These cleanup events are the main effort of the Basin Beautification Project, a standalone initiative supported by Midland and Odessa’s city and county government. The four entities came together to tackle the persistent litter problem across the region with a shared goal of keeping the places residents call home clean, safe, and beautiful.

Lindsey Adams, Midland’s Strategic Partnerships Officer and a lead organizer, has described the project as one that runs on collaboration rather than dedicated funding.

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“Since it’s the four entities, it’s not funded by anything,” she said in an earlier interview. “There’s no revenue going into the project. We just kind of operate off of what the four entities are able to do. They’ll offer any help, saying, ‘Odessa can provide this,’ and Midland County says, ‘We can have this,’ and it just all happens.”

Go deeper: The first Basin Action Day in November 2025 drew more than 515 volunteers who collected 657 bags of trash. A second event followed in April with 123 volunteers and collected 335 bags. Organizers say the project is still young but already showing results, and they want to expand into more education and prevention work, including school partnerships.

“We’re barely a year in,” Adams said. “That’s already impressive for what we’ve all been able to do.”

What’s next: Saturday’s cleanup is free and open to all ages. Individuals and teams can sign up online with more information on the Basin Beautification Project website. The same day, Midland County and Ector County will also host free drop-off opportunities for bulky items, tires, and other materials.