It’s time again for the annual Elmer Tarr Bristol Roadside Cleanup. The usual accumulation of detritus is clogging Bristol’s otherwise picturesque roadsides.
This year’s cleanup will be on Saturday, April 27. Individuals who can’t help that day are encouraged to join in the effort anytime during the week of April 22-26 when pickup is available for collected trash.
Again this year, participants are asked to pick up the trash from the roadside along one’s own property. For those who are feeling especially energetic, choose a section of any road in Bristol and clean that up too.
The goal this year is to involve more children and families. Children attending with an adult will receive a safety vest to wear during the cleanup and to keep.
Trash bags will be available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. inside the Bristol town office to the left of the front door from Thursday, April 18 to Friday, April 26. After 4 p.m. on April 26, trash bags will be located outside the front door. Participants are asked to bring their own gloves and water bottles.
Bags filled with collected trash can be brought to the Bristol-South Bristol Transfer Station during operating hours. From noon to 2 p.m. on April 27, a crew from Hanley Construction will pick up bags left by the roadside. From April 22-26, participants are asked to call the Bristol town office at 563-5270 with the address the full bags are located at so the town highway department can pick them up.
Although not required, registration will be held the morning of April 27 at Bristol Consolidated School and at Granite Hall Store in Round Pond from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Volunteers will distribute safety vests to children and trash bags to all, along with suggestions for specific roads for trash pickup. Coordinators like to keep track of which road sections are being cleaned up to avoid overlap and confusion.
This year’s bonus is a cookout on cleanup day for all cleanup participants at the Pemaquid Beach Park pavilion from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pizza, hamburgers, drinks, and cookies will be served until we run out.
For more information or to volunteer, call and leave a message at 290-3077 or email kwa@roadrunner.com.
