GreenUps

Groups in town regularly organize greenups, where community volunteers collect trash from places it doesn't belong. Greenups not only make the area more attractive but can help protect wildlife and us, by keeping plastics out of our water supply and removing fishing line and other materials that can harm animals. The Sustainable Green Committee works with some of these groups and encourages all of them. In addition, our Department of Public Works does a tremendous job throughout the year helping to keep our town free of loose trash. Besides trash, some groups help remove invasive plants with the help of volunteers.

See the Events page where some of the greenup days are listed, or reach out to any of the groups shown here:

• Friends of Whitehall typically holds a cleanup around the lake on a Saturday morning in the spring and fall

• Hopkinton Trails Club coordinates monthly volunteer workdays on the trails in town, some of which are to remove invasive weeds which are killing trees in our forests.

• Groups of employees from Dell have cleaned up selected areas in our town - other companies are welcome to do so!

• Scout groups have organized greenups

• Hillers track and field and cross country teams collected over 52 bags of trash at the start of summer vacation

• The Hopkinton Chinese Community turned out dozens of members to help with our committee's 2021 cleanup

If your group would like to organize a greenup, contact us for some guidance and we'll help spread the word to potential volunteers, and to show appreciation and encourage others to do the same.

When you're on a walk or at an outdoor event, take some time to pick up (safely) and dispose of garbage you see around the area. When an area is already relatively litter free, it tends to attract less additional litter. And by all means, spread to the word to dispose of trash properly to children of all ages.