Volunteers pose for a photo during the 2023 Friends of Acadia Earth Day Roadside Cleanup. Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia

Friends of Acadia is incredibly grateful for all the amazing volunteers who participated in the 22nd annual Earth Day Roadside Cleanup on Saturday, April 29. Inspired by a love for their communities, more than 300 volunteers came out to clean up our state roads. Earth Day volunteers collected 440 bags of trash from over 40 miles of Route 3, Route 233, and Route 102 from the Mount Desert Island and Trenton areas, including many large items.

Groups that participated this year included: MDI High School, Bar Harbor Savings and Loan, Bar Harbor Bank and Trust, MDI Hospital, Girl Scouts, Birch Bay Retirement Village, College Of the Atlantic, Jackson Labs, Rotary, YMCA, Jordan Pond House, Terramor Outdoor Resort, Witham Family Hotels, Hinkley Yachts, the River Church, Bar Harbor Mount Desert PD, The Acadia Shops, and Tremont Consolidated School.

A volunteer carries a bag full of trash picked up from the roadside during Friends of Acadia’s Annual Earth Day Roadside Cleanup. Photo by Julia Walker Thomas/Friends of Acadia

We are grateful for all of the individuals who joined us and 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 2023 sponsors. A special thanks to:

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.

Our thanks, again, to all who participated in the Earth Day Roadside Clean-Up this year! This event is successful because of the ongoing support of our local businesses and generous community members. We hope to see you “on the road” next year with friends and family.

Additional Coverage:

• Over 300 volunteers take part in this year’s FOA roadside cleanup– via Mount Desert Islander
  See you on the road – Letter to the Editor in Mount Desert Islander