ATHOL – Earth Day is just around the corner, so that means Athol’s annual community-wide, post-winter cleanup is also fast approaching.

This marks the 55th consecutive year that people from around the globe will gather in the name of environmental protection, and also the sixth year that Athol residents will participate in the annual Green Clean Athol (GCA) event. While Earth Day always takes place on April 22, Green Clean Athol is held on the weekend closest to worldwide celebration. This year it will be Saturday, April 19.

People interested in volunteering should meet in front of the Athol Senior Center at Lord Pond Plaza between 9 a.m. and noon. GCA organizer Heidi Strickland said this year’s event won’t differ much from past years. Gloves and trash bags will be made available and newly-designed T-shirts will be given to volunteers who would like one.

“Last year, we had around 85 volunteers, which is pretty good, but we’d obviously be happy to have even more this year,” said Strickland.

She added that Public Works Department employees will also be volunteering to help with the cleanup.

“If people have a lot of bags or heavy bags, they can call us at the Senior Center, tell us where they are, and the guys from DPW will drive to them with a town truck, and pick up what the volunteers have collected,” Strickland said.

Volunteers can bring filled trash bags to Lord Pond Plaza and toss them into one of the town trucks, or drop them off at the transfer station.

Last year, said Strickland, three tons of trash was collected from Athol roadsides. In addition to cans, bottles and paper and plastic items, volunteers picked up 15 tires, two mattresses, three televisions, five chairs and one dresser. In what was hopefully a good sign, only one used needle and syringe was found.

As usual, several bags and boxes full of empty alcohol ‘nip’ bottles were collected last year. Many communities in Massachusetts have banned the small 50-ml bottles because of the litter they create.

In a 2024 interview, Strickland said, “We find thousands of them. I don’t think it will change until the state passes some kind of new bottle bill.”

Vine and Tunnel streets, she said, are prime locations for finding the small bottles.

To help give volunteers a little boost of energy and motivation before they head out for the morning, coffee and donuts will be available at the Senior Center.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.