A Call for Volunteers! Celebrate Earth Day & Keep Bellingham Beautiful
By Jennifer Russo
Mark your calendars for April 27th from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., when Bellingham residents will gather to do a bit of Spring cleaning by coming together as a community to pick up trash from the public areas where we live, work and play. This annual tradition of giving back and keeping our town beautiful has been successful each year, but many hands make light work, as the saying goes – so the more volunteers who give their time to help, the better (and faster) the effort.
“With new infrastructure being built in town these last couple of years, we realize that there is impact to different traffic patterns, more trash in certain areas, and some frustration about it,” says Dylan Labonte, Health Agent for Bellingham.
“I really think that one of the best ways you can show that you feel strongly about the community remaining a beautiful and healthy place to live is by participating in efforts like this; putting your face forward and showing decision-makers that you care and want to be involved.”
Individuals and groups will meet at Town Hall and be assigned to cleanup sites where transportation is also available. Trash bags, handheld trash pickers, and gloves will be provided. Volunteers are encouraged to pick up plastic bottles, paper items, cans, pieces of plastic and other general trash, but are not expected to pick up broken glass, needles, sizable items, or anything that might be dangerous or sharp. Those items will be cleaned up by the DPW using special receptacles. Community members are asked to wear closed-toe shoes, long pants, and attire suitable for the activity. Participants should be 12 years of age or older.
Volunteers are welcome to participate in a post-cleanup reception with free activities and refreshments and check out some eco-friendly products and vendors to help keep our environment the best it can be. It’s a terrific way to come together for a worthy cause, not just to improve our own town, but to contribute to global sustainability - being a part of the greater solution to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the wrong places.
If you’d like to volunteer yourself or as a group, please reach out to the Board of Health at (508) 657-2852, or email Laura at [email protected] by April 13th so that there is an accurate headcount for the event.
Note: The rain date for the Earth Day cleanup is May 4th. Bellingham also has a household hazardous waste day scheduled separately, on July 27th, where residents can safely dispose of things like motor oil, batteries, gasoline, and things of that nature.
