Meet the Trash Busters: Taking Pride in Virginia City, One Cleanup at a Time

Cory Wood, Jim “Diamond Jim” Caravallo and Lilly have a simple way of spending a Saturday: grab the truck, gather the supplies and go pick up some trash.

Lilly, their dog and the unofficial mascot of Trash Busters, is usually along for the ride.

What started with Wood and Caravallo noticing litter around Virginia City has grown into a monthly community cleanup effort. The group brings together about seven or eight volunteers for its regular cleanups, while Wood and Caravallo sometimes head out on their own.

Their motto says it all: “Taking pride in our community.”

Trash Busters started in 2025 as a way for Wood and Caravallo to help keep Virginia City clean. The project got a boost when a local community member told them about Storey County’s Community Project Grant program.

Trash Busters was selected as a recipient of the county’s FY25-26 Community Project Grant, providing funding for the equipment and supplies the group uses during its cleanups.

The grant helped Wood and Caravallo turn an idea into an ongoing project, but the heart of Trash Busters remains the people who show up to help.

The monthly cleanups are open to volunteers who want to participate when they can. There is no pressure to make every cleanup. If someone has time to help, they come out.

Darcy McMillan joined after seeing Wood’s post about Trash Busters on Facebook.

She said picking up trash was already something she did when camping or traveling, so joining the group felt natural.

“I know there’s a need,” McMillan said. “Everywhere we go, we go camping, or anywhere, we always pick up the trash. So it was natural.”

McMillan said she has noticed a difference in the areas the group has cleaned.

“Once it’s clean, it’s less likely that there’ll be more trash,” she said.

Liz Huntington came to Trash Busters looking for another way to give back to her community.

After reading Tuesdays with Morrie, Huntington said she began thinking about the importance of contributing to her community. Then she noticed Wood and Caravallo were already doing exactly that.

“I started watching these guys on Facebook,” Huntington said. “And I wanted to do more for the community.”

The group has also found that people notice the work.

After each cleanup, the Trash Busters take a photo of the trash collected and thank the volunteers who participated. Caravallo said he has been surprised by how appreciative people are of the group's efforts.

And the volunteers hope that seeing Trash Busters out in the community encourages other residents to do a little cleaning of their own.

“You don’t have to be a member of Trash Busters to go out and clean up around your house,” McMillan said. “Take a walk around your block and pick up trash.”

With the help of the Community Project Grant, Trash Busters plans to continue its monthly cleanups and hopes to expand its efforts to Six Mile in the future.

For Wood and Caravallo, it does not always take a scheduled cleanup to get started. Sometimes all it takes is a walk with Lilly.

“I walk our dog, Lilly, and I see a bunch of trash, and I say, ‘You know what?’” Caravallo said. “OK, let’s go get the truck, Lilly. We’re going out.”

Want to get involved? Reach out to Cory and Diamond Jim at TrashBustersCT@gmail.com to learn more about upcoming cleanups and how you can help.