"How hard is it to keep your garbage in your car or throw it where it's supposed to be?" said Johnstown City Councilwoman Marie Mock.

A major push to tackle the filth that piles up over the winter has led to a partnership that will attack the problem from two sides.

Mock said folks in the Cambria County court system will be giving back, helping the already thinly stretched Public Works Department, in exchange for paying off fines and such. And it all comes at no cost to the city.

"We're going to get the city divided up into five sections, and we'll take a section a day starting April 11 and we'll go from there," said Mock.

Target areas include the corner of Menoher Boulevard and Haynes Street, where right now you will find cinder covered sidewalks, broken beer bottles and empty fast food containers among the mess.

"Maybe I'm a little harsh, but I think some people are just pigs. I mean people just don't clean up and take care of themselves as far as their garbage," said Mock.

Mock said phase two of the cleanup happens a month later.

"The Discover Downtown folks are going to be taking care of beautifying the area more, planting flowers and cleaning up more garbage," said Mock.

This time is the time for volunteers to get involved. Those interested are asked to bring gloves, garbage bags, rakes and broom May 15. Operation Clean Sweep will begin at Central Park at 11 a.m.