When was the last time you admired a trash can? Or perhaps more accurately, when was the last time a trash can admired you?

"It reminds me kind of like of a comic out of the funnies, the Sunday funnies,” said Syracuse resident William Bennett.

30 trash cans around Syracuse are wrapped with pick-up lines.

One reads, "Cleaning up our community is easier with numbers. Can I get yours?" Another says, "You had me at let's clean up this litter."

The most popular is, "Are you a penalty for littering? Because you have fine written all over you."

"I think it's a good thing because a lot of people litter and it’s a good thing to let people notice and clean up instead of leaving litter around because it's better to be clean than dirty," said Katlin Bennett, another Syracuse resident.

The goal of these silly sayings is more than keeping downtown clean or finding someone to clean up trash with. Litter downtown finds its way to Onondaga Creek and eventually into Onondaga Lake.

"The floatables are a real problem, so this is a small little thing we're doing to bring awareness and change behavior," said Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon.

McMahon is trying to do his part. He worked with the Save the Rain initiative to add the colorful cartoons to the trash cans. McMahon says it’s his legal and moral responsibility to keep the lake clean.

"It's critical,” McMahon stated. “It's one of the biggest economic drivers for our region and recreational drivers. Most communities that have waterfront in their city, that abut their cities have very thriving local economies."

The county and its “Save the Rain” initiative spent about $1,200 on the cans. If it's successful, Syracuse may see more in the future.