by Jennifer Dawson

Green Up Day — an annual litter pick-up event held in over 250 towns in Vermont since 1970 — has so far eradicated over 24 million pounds of litter and 450,000 tires from the streets. Last year, volunteers collected over 400 tons of trash, and this year aimed to set a Guinness World Record for the most pledges received for a litter pick-up in twenty-four hours. Colchester did particularly well this year and attracted a record 700 volunteers. Aside from Green Up Day, the hard work of weekly litter pickup volunteers in places like Montpelier is also helping to keep our communities clean. So get inspired and get involved! When you protect your town from litter, you create a better world not just for you, but for your whole community and every living being. 

Colchester’s Green Up Day marked a success

Almost 700 volunteers participated in this year’s Green Up Day in Colchester, which is exactly 70 more than last year. 450 of those volunteers were Colchester High School Students. In particular, illegal dumping in quieter areas like Poor Farm Road and Ernie Farrar Drive is an ongoing problem in Colchester (as well as Vermont as a whole), which makes it all the more important for people to pitch in and help protect their town. Most years, Colchester’s Green Up volunteers usually collect anywhere from 500-800 tires, as well as over four tons of trash from both streets and parks. However, the total results from this year’s effort haven’t yet been calculated, so you’ll have to wait to see just how well they did. 

Green Up organizers also note that volunteers need to be properly educated in correct disposal of hazardous waste. Gloves are essential to protect against needles and shards. If possible, it’s also wise to place hazardous litter in plastic bottles before disposal. 

Why it pays to keep your home clean

In addition to looking after our communities, it’s just as important to keep your home clean. The average Vermont resident cleans their home at least once a week, and declutters three times a year, a survey by OnePoll reveals. Clean and hygienic homes keep harmful pathogens and bacteria at bay, and can even improve mood and mental health. Although people’s least favorite room to clean is the bathroom, this surprisingly isn’t typically a home’s dirtiest room. That would be the kitchen. Since kitchens offer the perfect storm of favorable bacterial conditions (food, heat, and moisture), it shouldn’t be surprising that they allow nasty bacteria like E. coli and salmonella to thrive.

It’s also important to pay special attention to the kitchen when cleaning to keep things sanitary. And this involves avoiding one of the most common cleaning bad habits: not switching out sponges, towels, and rags frequently enough. Disgustingly, kitchen sponges tend to have just as much bacteria as the inside of a toilet. And using dirty cleaning materials simply spreads germs around. So, if you want your cleaning efforts to pay off, change kitchen sponges every day, and use a fresh cleaning rag for each different cleaning activity.   

Trash Tramps have collected over 250,000 cigarette butts

In Montpelier, Trash Tramps meet every week to pick up the town’s litter. People of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life are welcome to join in and do their bit toward making the town a cleaner place. Since 2021, the group has collected over 250,000 cigarette butts, which they send to be recycled. Cigarette butts shouldn’t be just dumped in landfills as they contain fiberglass, which can be re-used to make other products. To minimize cigarette litter in Montpelier, more Sidewalk Buttlers (receptacles designed to collect cigarette butts) have been installed. People are encouraged to use them, rather than throwing their trash on the ground. Cigarette buts aren’t just ugly, they also leach toxic chemicals into the environment, which pollutes the waterways and sickens wildlife.  

Vermont’s streets are looking cleaner than ever thanks to the efforts of dedicated and hard-working volunteers. If you’re interested in doing your bit to keep your town litter-free, visit your local town website for information on initiatives in your area.