2021 Marlborough 'Clean Sweep' Begins In April

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Marlborough's annual "Clean Sweep" community-wide litter pickup will start on April 17 this year. During the event, the city will distribute special trash bags to residents and business owners that want to participate.

Here's more from a city of Marlborough press release:

Spring is here and although COVID-19 has impacted our lives, we still want to honor Earth Day, and work together to beautify the city. Project Clean Sweep 2021 takes place from April 17- May 2, lasting two weeks. We are encouraging residents and businesses to participate in small groups collecting debris along roadways and in our parks. Six-foot social distancing and face masks are required if you are picking up trash with people outside your immediate household or while working where you may encounter others.

“Marlborough Project Clean Sweep is an annual community event that draws those that work and live in Marlborough to collaboratively engage in the beautification of our City showing the pride we have for our neighborhoods and downtown areas. We encourage everyone to pitch in this year,” Mayor Arthur Vigeant said. "Last spring the pandemic forced us to do things differently, but we still had quite a few enthusiastic groups that assisted with this clean-up effort. Over the years we have collected four to five tons of trash annually. These clean-ups help the environment and make our city look great."

Here is how it will work:

Yellow Trash Bags: Please call the DPW (508-624-6910) for safe pickup of yellow bags, gloves and T-shirts anytime Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cleanup Location: When calling DPW please designate an area of specific interest to your group, otherwise they will assign and log in your location maintaining these in our maps.
Trash: Filled Yellow trash bags should be left curbside to be collected by the DPW through May 10.
Spread the word: Please encourage your friends, neighbors and work colleagues who might be interested in helping in this great city-wide effort.

“We are hoping to increase participation this year so that we can make our city look its best,” Conservation Officer Priscilla Ryder said.

Companies, religious or civic group interested in a specific assignment or location for cleanup outside of this timeframe, please email dpwdispatch@marlborough-ma.gov or call 508-634-6910 providing your contact information, specific location and the number of participants in your group.

We urge everyone to take photos of their efforts and send them to dispatch@marlborough-ma.gov. Pictures of all participating and showing pride will be posted to the city’s website.