Andover’s Earth Day Cleanup Event a Success

Andover’s Department of Public Works (DPW) in conjunction with Republic Services hosted its first Neighborhood & Trail Clean-up Event in honor of Earth Day. Volunteers with assistance from DPW crews gathered 1.29 tons (2,580 lbs) of litter and debris from various areas around Town.

26 teams participated in the event including Girl Scout Troop #72401, Representative Frank Moran and his staff, The Chinese American Association of the Andovers, Step by Step Chinese Learning Center, over a dozen Andover High School students, and several other smaller groups of families and friends.

Volunteers received trash bags and gloves and headed out to over 19 locations, some of their own choosing and some to locations suggested by the DPW that needed attention. Crews from the DPW assisted the cleanup by gathering all bags volunteers filled and loaded the trash dumpster delivered and paid for by Republic Services.

Though Earth Day is a yearly reminder to focus on the Earth and acknowledge the things that you could be doing for it, picking up litter is a good thing to do any day of the year. If you missed out on Earth Day but are interested in organizing your own cleanup, big or small, please reach out to the DPW by emailing recycle@andoverma.us.

About Earth Day
Earth Day was initially launched by the late Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson to address the widespread pollution throughout the country. April 22, 1970, a weekday falling between Spring Break and Final Exams, was chosen to maximize the greatest student involvement. Since that day, events are hosted every year by conservation and environmental groups, citizens, businesses, and other organizations throughout the state and country.

Via Earthday.Org:
Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urban dwellers and farmers, business and labor leaders. By the end of 1970, the first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of other first of their kind environmental laws, including the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Clean Air Act. Two years later Congress passed the Clean Water Act. A year after that, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act and soon after the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. These laws have protected millions of men, women and children from disease and death and have protected hundreds of species from extinction. Read more by visiting Earthday.Org/History.