Town of Shelburne launching week-long cleanup ahead of Earth Day

Written By JOSHUA DRAKES

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

In the lead-up to Earth Day on April 22, the Town of Shelburne is introducing a coordinated, week-long community cleanup initiative to involve more residents and local groups in caring for public spaces.

Running throughout Earth Week, the program invites volunteers to help tidy parks, trails, and other municipal green spaces.

Jessica Hanzel, recreation program development and special events coordinator for Shelburne, said that, unlike previous years, the town is now centralizing the campaign.

“We've had in the past, different businesses and other community organizations that have kind of coordinated their own cleanup efforts each year, and they've reached out to us, and we've kind of provided support by grabbing the bags and sometimes giving supplies,” she said. “So this year, we're just trying to make it more of a coordinated and supported effort and hopefully encourage more participation with other residents and groups within town.”

The municipality will provide cleanup kits, including garbage bags and a safety information sheet, and will coordinate where filled bags should be left for collection.

Public Works staff will then travel to those locations to pick up the collected waste, allowing volunteers to focus on the actual cleanup rather than logistics.

Safety is a key focus of the initiative. Volunteers are encouraged to clean only on municipal property and to avoid busy roads and highways.

“Cleanup should take place only on municipal property, so ideally on parks or trails or green spaces,” Hanzel said. “Obviously we want everyone to be safe, so we'd ask them not to clean by roads and such, and we'll have a safety sheet that we give out, and essentially it would say that if you find anything unsafe, document the location, and then we'll have public works attend and clean up that stuff.”

The week-long format is intended to concentrate efforts around Earth Day while allowing flexibility.

Groups can choose times that work best for them, whether during the workday, in the evening, or on weekends. Several local organizations have already expressed interest earlier in the year and are awaiting final details.

“So far, we had some groups inquire earlier in the year that they would be interested in participating once the spring comes,” Hanzel said. “We've just started promoting this, so we don't have anyone signed up yet, but we probably have at least four or five groups that are just kind of waiting for the details.”

Residents and groups who want to participate are encouraged to contact the town to register, receive their cleanup kits, and coordinate drop-off locations for collected garbage.

The town hopes this new, centralized approach will make it easier than ever for people to get involved and make a visible difference in their community.

To learn more and to register, go to calendar.shelburne.ca/default/Detail/2026-04-16-0000-Community-Clean-Up.