Green Up Day activities in the region Information for Andover, Cavendish, Chester and Springfield

By Stacia A. Spaulding
©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Green Up Day has been held in Vermont each spring since 1970. The event is still going strong 56 years later, with tens of thousands of volunteers collecting hundreds of tons of trash annually from roadsides and waterways. This year, Green Up Day is Saturday, May 2.

Safety precautions:

• Wear bright attire
• Bring a companion
• Work your road facing traffic… up one side and down the other
• Wear long pants and check for ticks
• Wear gloves
• If you see a needle or sharp material, find an adult, put it in a thick, sturdy container and place the container in the regular trash

ANDOVER

As in the past, Andover volunteers are encouraged to rid the roadsides of trash, as well as to give the cemeteries and town grounds a spring clean-up. It takes everyone to keep the community healthy and clean. Pick up trash bags on Green Up Day in the parking area behind the Town Office, 953 Weston-Andover Road, starting at 9 a.m. To get a head start, volunteers can obtain bags from the Town Office during regular hours.

A potluck picnic lunch will follow at around noon. Hot dogs and chips will be provided; participants are asked to bring a side dish or dessert, if possible. This is a great way for volunteers to meet new neighbors and to help the community.

Contact Deb Moser (dmoser6468@gmail.com) to select a road or cemetery in advance. Otherwise, assignments will be made when volunteers pick up their bags on May 2.

CAVENDISH

Sign up for your route in the entryway at the Cavendish Town Office, 37 High St., and pick up bags any time, even when the office is closed. Or meet at Svec Park  — Proctorsville Village Green — between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. on May 2, where you will receive a route, gloves and bags.

Volunteers should return to the Green between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to enjoy a cookout and drinks. Keep returnables in a separate bag and bring them back to the Green. They will go to the nonprofit organizations Streetscapes and the Cavendish Community Conservation Association.

Tie your filled bags and take them to the transfer station or to the Proctorsville Green on Green Up Day. Can’t make it to Green Up Day? You may start early and take Green Up bags to the Cavendish Transfer Station at no charge through May 10.

If you come across items that are too big to manage, call the Town Office at 802-226-7291.

While you are out, take note of the most commonly discarded items, the most unusual piece of trash or debris and where you found the most litter. Fill out the questionnaire at the cookout.

For more information, e-mail Betty McEnaney at betty@gotvermont.com or call her at 802-236-7099 or send an e-mail to CCCA at cavendishcommunityconservation@gmail.com.

CHESTER

Once again, Frank Kelley, Carrie King and the Whiting Library are spearheading Green Up efforts in Chester.

Green Up bags are available now at:

• Whiting Library, 117 Main St.
• Chester Hardware & Mercantile, 21 Main St.
• Erskine’s Grain & Garden, 54 Grain Store Road
• Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St.

Place filled bags in the dumpster at the Town Garage, 144 Town Garage Road. It will be available from Friday, May 1 through Wednesday, May 6. Please leave tires in a neat pile next to the dumpster.

The Green Up Mentor Program offers local high school students an opportunity to earn community service hours while actively contributing to the Green Up initiative. Interested students are encouraged to take advantage of this chance to make a meaningful difference in the community.

Share your good work with Frank Kelley (fjmkelley@gmail.com or 802-289-1540) or Carrie King at the Whiting Library (802-875-2277). The numbers of volunteers, miles of roads cleaned and bags of trash picked up are reported to the state Green Up Day organizers.

SPRINGFIELD

Each year, more than 600 volunteers contribute more than 200 hours of service, collecting upwards of 600 bags of trash and removing tons of waste from the community, including the Black River. The effort is coordinated locally by the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Participants may pick up official green bags in advance at the Chamber of Commerce office, located at 56 Main Street. Bags will be available beginning at 8:30 a.m. on May 2 in the Springfield Food Co-Op parking lot, 6 Main St.

Filled bags should be tied shut and left along the road. The Town of Springfield Highway Department will collect them in the days following the event.

A free hot dog cookout, sponsored by Springfield Project Action, will take place in the Co-Op parking lot. The Springfield Humane Society will bring along some furry companions for attendees to enjoy.

Mulching and clean-up of Main Street gardens and parks, supported by Springfield on the Move and The Springfield Garden Club, will also take place.

For more information or to get involved, please contact the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce at info@springfieldvt.com or 802-885-2779.