Ashland Marks Earth Day With Townwide Clean Up, May 5

Cynthia Whitty
Photos/Deborah Grady Photographs
Issue Date: 
May, 2018
Article Body: 

GreenUp Ashland will hold its annual clean-up the town event to celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, May 5, 9 a.m. to noon. The rain date is May 6. Residents of all ages, businesses and organizations are invited to participate. Volunteers will clean up parks and neighborhoods and along streets and rivers. Organizers note that this year residents will have the weekend—not just Saturday morning—to clean up the area for which they register.
Three Locations to Register. Residents may register on the day of the event at the Stone Park Pavilion or at two satellite locations: downtown near Sunnyside Café on Front Street or outside Focus on Fitness, 290 Eliot St.
Wear Proper Attire. Residents should bring work gloves and water and wear sturdy shoes and bright clothing for safety. Residents may leave bags they fill with rubbish and roadside litter on the curbside for pickup by the Ashland Department of Public Works.
Businesses Can Help. GreenUp Ashland is also asking local businesses to pick up trash around their establishments on May 5 or on the days prior to the event. They may pick up collection bags at Stone Park on May 5 or from the Board of Health office in advance.
Organizers say that litter around town is worse than ever before. In 2017, GreenUp Ashland volunteers picked up and bagged 1.62 cubic yards of waste; 161 volunteers participated; and 96 locations around town were cleaned up.
For more information, email info@greenupashland.org, visit www.greenupashland.org and www.facebook.com/GreenUpAshland, or, to volunteer for the committee, call the Ashland Board of Health, 508-881-0100, or extension 7128 or 7922 for Health Agent Mark Oram.
The GreenUp Ashland committee works to promote a litter-free environment and to encourage stewardship of Ashland’s lands and waterways.
© Copyright by Cynthia Whitty, April 2018