Roughly 250 volunteers came together Saturday for Friends of Acadia’s 25th annual Earth Day Roadside Cleanup, collecting 514 bags of trash from roadsides around Mount Desert Island and Trenton.

“It was a beautiful day, and people really came together to care for our community,” said Brian Sale, Friends of Acadia’s stewardship manager.

Volunteers gathered at 11 locations across Mount Desert Island and Trenton before spreading out along 40 miles of state roads, wearing safety vests and carrying trash bags. On foot, they combed the roadsides for what winter had left behind, collecting plastic takeout containers, cans, hubcaps, bumpers, clothing, Styrofoam, and smaller pieces of debris.

“Earth Day Roadside Cleanup is our first major volunteer event of the season, and each spring it’s such a joy to see so many volunteers return to help keep our park and communities clean,” said Stephanie Clement, Friends of Acadia’s vice president of conservation. “Marking the 25th year of the event made this year’s cleanup particularly special. We are grateful to all the volunteers and local organizations who have helped make this such a meaningful annual tradition, and to the Maine Department of Transportation for its longtime partnership in collecting the bags of trash from along the roadsides each year.”

Volunteers with Terramor Outdoor Resort collect trash during the annual Friends of Acadia Earth Day Roadside Cleanup. (Rhiannon Johnston/Friends of Acadia)

Trenton residents and returning participants Ryan Swanson and Kaitlyn Metcalf joined the cleanup along Eagle Lake Road. “It feels really good to be a small part of making where we live a better place,” Swanson said. “It’s a small way for me to preserve the beauty we’re so fortunate to live within,” Metcalf added.

Friends of Acadia extends a special thank you to Chilton Trust, the lead sponsor of Friends of Acadia’s stewardship events.

And to this year’s event business sponsors: Acadia Bike/Coastal Kayaking Tours, Acadia Corporation, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, Bar Harbor Savings & Loan, Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company, Beal’s Lobster Pier, Burdick & Associates Landscape Design, Galyn’s Restaurant, Geddy’s Pub, Hannaford Supermarkets, John Williams Boat Company, Jordan Pond House/ExplorUS, Maine Department of Transportation, Maine Coast Flight Center, MDI Grows Landscape Services, Mount Desert Island Hospital, Nor’Easter Pound & Market, Orono Brewing Company, Saltair Inn Waterfront B&B, The Bluenose Inn – Lafayette Hotels, William Blair & Company, Window Panes, Witham Family Hotels, and Wright-Ryan Builders.

Friends of Acadia encourages residents and visitors to celebrate Earth Day all year long by helping keep roadsides trash-free. Please dispose of trash properly, recycle what you can, and place the rest in trash cans. With small individual efforts, together we can reduce litter in our communities and help protect our shared lands and waters.

A group of volunteers with Bar Harbor Bank & Trust clean up Eagle Lake Road by the entrance to Mount Desert Island High School. (Perrin Doniger/Friends of Acadia)

Lauren Gibson (left), Wild Acadia Coordinator with Friends of Acadia, and her family collect trash along Route 3 on Mount Desert Island. (Rhiannon Johnston/Friends of Acadia)

Volunteers in Trenton pose for a portrait during the annual Friends of Acadia Earth Day Roadside Cleanup. (Rhiannon Johnston/Friends of Acadia)

Earth Day Roadside Cleanup volunteers pause amid their picking up. (Courtesy photo)

Volunteers during Saturday’s Earth Day Roadside Cleanup. (Courtesy photo)

The Dundon volunteers pick up trash along Main Street on Mount Desert Island during the annual Friends of Acadia Earth Day Roadside Cleanup. (Rhiannon Johnston/Friends of Acadia)

A group of volunteers with Terramor Outdoor Resort pose for a portrait along Main Street on Mount Desert Island during the annual Friends of Acadia Earth Day Roadside Cleanup. (Rhiannon Johnston/Friends of Acadia)

Volunteer Ann Dundon picks up trash during the annual Friends of Acadia Earth Day Roadside Cleanup. (Rhiannon Johnston/Friends of Acadia)

The Dundon volunteers pick up trash along Main Street on Mount Desert Island. (Rhiannon Johnston/Friends of Acadia)

Perrin Doniger, vice president of communications and marketing with Friends of Acadia, cleans up plastic debris along Eagle Lake Road. (Rhiannon Johnston/Friends of Acadia)

Volunteers collect trash near the Kebo Golf Course in Acadia National Park. (Rhiannon Johnston/Friends of Acadia)