This Earth Day weekend, the Rochester Women’s Club and Rochester Land Trust joined forces to execute the third annual Earth Day clean up around the town. Volunteers met at the Women’s Club on Marion Road to pick up their big, bright yellow bags, courtesy of the Highway Department, and dispersed to nearby neighborhoods and streets to pick up the loose trash that mars the view and destroys the valuable ecosystems of the town.
“We like people to know we’re here and we want to preserve the open space and beauty of the town,” said Norene Hartley of the Rochester Land Trust.
According to Rochester Women’s Club organizer, Nancy Boutin, there were 14 roads listed to clean up on Sunday’s roster, and for better or worse, the number of bags was getting low.
“I see a lot of people who are interested. Last year we gave out 45 bags. Some of the local Girl Scouts received them and 12 girls filled one bag each,” Boutin said.
Out on Mary’s Pond Road, Ann and Mike Cambra of Deerfield Terrace were out collecting the road-side rubbish.
“We walk this road a lot, “ Ann said. “We are always amazed by the amount of garbage on the road. We are happy to be doing this but we really need to do it more,” said Mike. They had taken six bags to fill.
The Earth Day clean up is about more than just picking up trash. It’s a way the Women’s Club and Land Trust bring the community together. Dolores Dernier just moved to Rochester from Brockton in October and decided to pitch in however she could.
“I wanted to meet people today and help out. This is my first time getting involved, and I thought this was a good way to start,” she said.
After the volunteers filled their yellow bags, they were instructed to leave them by the roadside for pickup by the Highway Department this week.
By Eric Tripoli
This weekend, the Rochester Women’s Club and Rochester Land Trust organized the third annual Earth Day clean up effort, with dozens of residents coming together to pick up trash around their neighborhoods. Ann Cambra reaches to grab a piece of trash alongside Mary’s Pond Road.