Politics & Government

Newporters! It's Time to Sign Up for One of Many Earth Day Litter Cleanups

Volunteers needed for a dozen cleanup events through the month of April.

Sick of seeing litter and debris clogging city streets, parks and the shore? Now that the snow is gone and March winds kicked everything around, garbage is everywhere.

You're not alone. The good news is there's a dozen litter cleanups happening this April in Newport in recognition of Earth Day.

Thanks to a $500 state grant, the city is stocked up with bags and gloves and the Newport Public Services Department's Clean City Program is looking for volunteers to come and help at one of the cleanups.

“Last year’s Earth Day celebration for the City of Newport had an impressive turnout,” said Mayor Harry F. Winthrop. “We certainly appreciate of any assistance you can provide in keeping our city clean.”

Earth Day is on a Monday, April 22, but most of the city's cleanup events will be on Saturday, April 12. All cleanups have a rain date of April 26.

Find out what's happening in Newportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The grant is in partnership with the state Department of Environmental Management and Rhode Island Resource Recovery. The Clean City Program will collect the bags of litter that accumulate at the cleanup events and RIRRC, the operator of the Central Landfill in Johnston, will waive all disposal fees.

Trash hauler Waste Management has agreed to assist in disposing of the litter.

Find out what's happening in Newportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Here's a list of cleanup events with signup information:

  • Saturday, April 12 – Save The Bay & Pruitt Chiropractic invite you to help clean up Easton’s Beach, 175 Memorial Blvd. from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. To volunteer, you must contact Save The Bay in advance at jlewis@savebay.org or 272-3540 x130. Volunteers should dress for the weather, including sturdy closed-toed shoes, which are required. Please bring your own water bottle, but bags, gloves, bug and sun protection will be provided.
  • Saturday, April 12 – Clean Ocean Access will be cleaning Brenton Point State Park to the Castle Hill area and the Kings Park state fishing area from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Please wear boots or sturdy shoes and try to bring your own gloves. Meet in the parking lot across from the Jetty. Contact Dave McLaughlin at 401-465-0628 or dave.mclaughlin@cleanoceanaccess.org.
  • Saturday, April 12 – Clean Ocean Access will be cleaning Cliff Walk from Ochre Point to Memorial Boulevard from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Please wear boots or sturdy shoes and try to bring your own gloves. Meet at 40 steps on Narragansett Avenue. Contact Dave McLaughlin at 401-465-0628 or dave.mclaughlin@cleanoceanaccess.org.
  • Saturday, April 12 – The Off Broadway Neighborhood Association & the Newport Run & Chug Club invite you to help clean up the Off Broadway neighborhood and downtown Newport areas. Volunteers should meet at Equality Park at 9:30 a.m. to pick up bags & gloves. To volunteer, contact Jack McVicker at (401) 829-1601.
  • Saturday, April 12 – NewportRIRocks invites you to join them in cleaning up Morton Park & the surrounding areas from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. To volunteer, contact Melody Mulcahey at newportrirocks@gmail.com. Volunteers should meet at the Morton Park playground at 10 a.m. Light refreshments will be provided.
  • Saturday, April 12 - Old Colony & Newport Railway will clean up along the railway where they run scenic, narrated train trips. To volunteer, please contact Chuck Flippo ahead of time at (401) 871-0828.
  • Saturday, April 12 - The Point Association will meet at both Battery and Storer Parks at 9 a.m. Once gathered, work groups will blanket the Point, cleaning parks, driftways, beach areas, Hunter Park area and east to Arnold Park at the corner of Cross, Bridge, and Upper Thames. Contact Sue Beckers at (401) 849-1814 or suebeckers@cox.net.
  • Saturday, April 12 – The Friends of the Waterfront  invites volunteers to join them in the annual Earth Day Cleanup at King Park  from 9 a.m.-12 p.m.  Volunteers should meet at the pavilion on King Park at 9 a.m. Contact Linda Hammer at hammernewport@cox.net.
  • Saturday, April 12 - The East Bay Met School and the Boys and Girls Club of Newport County will be cleaning up Miantonomi Memorial Park and Sunset Hill. To volunteer, contact Bryan Diggle at bdiggle@bgcnewport.org or (401) 847-6927.
  • Tuesday, April 22 – Katherine Field and Associates will be cleaning up the Ocean Drive area.
  • Tuesday, April 22 – Aquidneck Land Trust & class from St. Michaels School will be cleaning the southern end of Miantonomi Park, one of the Land Trust’s conserved areas.
  • Saturday, April 26 - Friends of Ballard Park will be holding an Earth Day cleanup at 9 a.m., followed by a free guided tour of the park at 11 a.m. Volunteers should meet at the quarry meadow off Hazard Rd. at 9 a.m. To volunteer or RSVP for a tour, contact Jaclyn Lewandoski at 619-3377 or education@ballardpark.org. Volunteers should wear sturdy footwear, as park trails can be muddy.

 “Spring is a great time for cleaning and pitching in with the City of Newport’s Earth Day Celebration” said Kristin Littlefield, Newport’s Clean City Coordinator. “Earth Day brings over 300 volunteers together to improve our Newport community, and we know that when people join together for a common cause, they can do great things.”

 

For more information about the City of Newport’s Earth Day celebration or an updated list of participating groups, visit www.cityofnewport.com/cleancity or call 845-5613.


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