Thank you to all the amazing volunteers who participated in Friends of Acadia’s 23nd Annual Earth Day Roadside Cleanup on Saturday, April 27. A whopping 259 volunteers came out to pick up trash and clean up our state roads. In total, volunteers collected more than 300 bags of trash from over 40 miles of Route 3, Route 233, and Route 102 from the Mount Desert Island and Trenton areas.

Groups that participated this year included: Bar Harbor Savings and Loan, Bar Harbor Bank and Trust, Acadia East Campground, Birch Bay Retirement Village, Footloose Friends, 2024 Miss Acadia Queens, MDIH Wellness Walkers, University Credit Union, Girl Scout Troop 760, Oceanarium, Hinckley Company, Terramor Outdoor Resort, The River Church, and Bar Harbor Congregational Church.

Volunteers work to pick up trash near Triple Chick Farm in Bar Harbor. (Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia)

We are also grateful for all the individuals who joined us and exhibited their community pride, as well as the many local businesses who recruited volunteers. We also extend gratitude to Hannaford Supermarket for the water and snacks to fuel the volunteers and to the Maine Department of Transportation for picking up the bagged trash.

Of course, we couldn’t do this event without our amazing 2024 sponsors.

We encourage residents to celebrate Earth Day all year long by keeping the roadsides trash-free. Please dispose of your trash appropriately. Recycle what you can and put the rest in trash cans. With just a small amount of individual effort, together we can reduce the amount of trash in our communities and help protect our shared lands and waters.