COLRAIN — Keeping in mind the uncertainties of weather and residents’ busy schedules, the organizer of “Spruce It Up Colrain,” held for the first time last year, is expanding the community cleanup to be a month-long activity.

The event, held on Earth Day last year, encourages folks to help clear litter from the town’s roadways.

“We have a beautiful town here and most of the time Mother Nature hides the litter,” said organizer Jonathan Lagreze. “There are times like this when you are out hiking the roads and it is unpleasant to see.”

Anyone can participate by using a mapping app developed by Ryan Clary, GIS specialist with the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG). Individuals or teams can sign up on the app, available at tinyurl.com/468stsvf, to pick up litter from any of the specified locations marked by pins on the map. Participants are asked to write in the “Special Notes” section the length of road they plan to clean.

The Selectboard allows residents to dispose of litter collected from the roadsides at the Transfer Station throughout April at no charge. There is also a small fund that can pay the bulky waste fees on larger waste items collected, and participants are asked to separate trash from recyclables. So far this year, Lagreze noted that participants have found far less trash on the roadsides following the success of the 2022 cleanup.

In particular, residents are encouraged to clean the roads after the Colrain Firefighters’ Association’s pancake breakfast on Earth Day, April 22, from 7 to 11 a.m. at Colrain Central School, but roadside trash will be accepted throughout the month.

“My thought is rather than complain about the trash,” Lagreze said, “let’s pick it up.”

Contact Bella Levavi at blevavi@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.

]]>