In life-sized rodent costume, ‘Trash Squirrel’ picks up litter across Detroit, Hamtramck

On a cold afternoon in Hamtramck, a looming gray sky towered over the streets, while strong gusts of wind scattered debris across the neighborhoods.

Amid this scene, a figure resembling a human-sized squirrel darted through the area, eagerly pursuing each wandering piece of debris.

As other pedestrians passed by all the pieces of trash around them, this human-sized squirrel made it a point not to avoid a single piece of trash during her pickup route.

The human-sized squirrel, with her bright-colored cheeks and small brown ears, is none other than Hamtramck resident Lynn Blasey, 40.

Blasey, known affectionately as "Trash Squirrel," scours the streets for everything from discarded doorknobs and plastic bottles to small candy wrappers and even car brake pads.

“I'm an artist who expresses myself creatively with the way I dress, and how I engage with the world around me,” Blasey said. “Pairing costumes with a mundane act like cleaning up trash helps bring a sense of magic and wonder to the act, and encourages others to join in.”

Since 2015, Blasey combined her passion for the arts with environmental stewardship, filling hundreds of trash bags and picking up thousands of pieces of trash in and around the neighborhoods of Hamtramck and Detroit.

For Blasey, picking up trash in a squirrel costume was something that just happened. She often attends various costumed events, and one day, she wore her costume while picking up trash. The first time she did it intentionally was during Detroit's Marche du Nain Rouge parade several years ago.

On each outing, Blasey picks up two to three trash bags full of debris. Even the tiniest piece of trash doesn’t stand a chance against her mighty litter picker.

“We all have a part to play in keeping our environment healthy, including keeping human waste in appropriate cycles. I was raised camping a lot, where my parents instilled the idea that we always leave nature cleaner than we found it.”

Hamtramck has regular trash cleanups throughout the year, in which Blasey occasionally participates. She has also organized trash pickup events over the years but, most often, cleans up when she notices trash, or when she goes on walks with her partner, Joseph George.

When Blasey is not tirelessly cleaning up the community, she works as a program manager at the Community Arts Partnerships office at the College for Creative Studies, where she facilitates free art and design programs for 3,000 metro Detroit children each year. In July, she will be promoted to co-director.

“I hope more folks will be inspired to express themselves with how they dress, and pay more attention to the trash they pass every day and take a minute to pick it up," Blasey said. "If we all take a little bit of time to pick up trash when we see it, we can make a noticeable difference in the world around us.”

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 'Trash Squirrel' picks up Detroit, Hamtramck litter in rodent costume