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The 26th Annual Clean Up, Green Up is underway

The annual event invites residents to help beautify their favorite parts of Longmont
Matt Maenpaa
Matt Maenpaa

A quiet kick-off for the 26th Annual Clean Up, Green Up was held at the Longmont Public Works & Natural Resources Sunset Campus on September 18. Typically held in the spring, the annual volunteer event to clean up Longmont’s parks and open spaces was delayed to autumn due to COVID-19. 

Clean Up, Green Up is a yearly event sponsored by the city, where residents pick a particular spot in town to pick up trash and recycling that accumulates over the year. The clean ups can take place any time until October 9.

According to Lore Blattner, campaign coordinator for the event, more than 30 groups signed up to pick up trash. Some are groups of families and friends, church groups, scouting organizations, even local businesses like Longmont’s Native Roots dispensary. Longmont provides trash and recycling bags for volunteers, along with a map of parks and open space areas for residents who may need a little direction.

Manageable projects are the key to success for volunteers, Blattner said.

“If it's just you by yourself, pick a project that you’re comfortable doing,” Blattner said.

Blattner said one local resident participates every year, a 70-year-old woman who helps clean up throughout the entire month, filling a bag every other day from her favorite parks. 

Sustainable Resilient Longmont, or SRL, is getting in on the clean up action again this year too, according to SRL Board Vice Chair Naomi Curland. SRL volunteers will return to the section of Left Hand Creek near Harvest Junction in what has become an annual tradition. At last year’s Clean Up, Green Up SRL volunteers collected over 300 gallons of trash and another 100 gallons of recycling from the area along the creek, near the shopping centers.

“It’s a nice stretch to do, behind a big commercial area like that, as so much trash gets swept into the river,” Curland said. “It always feels like we’re making a big impact when we clean up that area.”

SRL’s clean up at Harvest Junction will take place on September 26 from 1 to 3 p.m. and is open to any locals who want to join in. Volunteers can sign up through SRL.

Clean Up, Green up runs through October 9 and is open to all Longmont residents who want to beautify the city, Blattner said. Residents will have to sign a waiver through the city and follow COVID health mandates from the city and county. To participate, residents should sign up through the city website and reach out to Blattner directly.