Town Green Up Day activities Information for Andover, Cavendish and Chester

By Stacia Spaulding
©2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Although Green Up Day officially takes place on the first Saturday in May, many area residents have gotten a jump-start on cleaning up the roadsides in their towns.

If you would like to help, there are still plenty of opportunities available on Saturday, May 3.

Many more schools are joining the environmental effort of Green Up Day by participating in contests and initiating school-wide Green Up efforts.

Safety precautions:

• Wear bright attire
• Bring a companion
• Work your road facing traffic … up one side and down the other
• Wear long pants and check for ticks
• If you see a needle or sharp material, find an adult, put it in a thick, sturdy container and place the container in the regular trash

ANDOVER

As in the past, Andover volunteers are encouraged to rid the roadsides of trash, as well as to give the cemeteries and town grounds a spring clean-up. It takes everyone to keep the community healthy and clean. Pick up trash bags on Green Up Day in the parking area behind the Town Office, 953 Weston-Andover Road, starting at 9 a.m., and grab a water and some goodies. To get a head start, volunteers can obtain bags from the Town Office.

Green Up trash can be placed in the dumpster in front of the Town Garage. If you would like to reserve a specific road, please call 802-875-5454 or send an e-mail to Deb Moser, Andover’s Green Up coordinator.

CAVENDISH

Sign up for your route in the entryway at the Cavendish Town Office, 37 High St., and pick up a bag (or two) at any time until May 11, even when the office is closed. Or meet at Svec Park  — Proctorsville Village Green — starting at 9 a.m. on May 3, where you will receive a route, gloves and bags.

As a thank you to volunteers, sandwiches and a beverage will be available at the Gazebo on the Green between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Tie your filled bags and take them to the transfer station or to the Proctorsville Green on Green Up Day. Green Up bags can be taken to the Cavendish Transfer Station at no charge until May 11.

As you Green Up, please clean ditches of debris and check culverts. If you notice a problem with a ditch or culvert, or find items that are too big to remove, call the Town Office at 802-226-7291.

While you are out, take note of the most commonly discarded items, the most unusual piece of trash or debris and where you found the most litter. For more information call Stephanie at 802-384-0205.

CHESTER

Once again, Frank Kelley, Carrie King and the Whiting Library are spearheading Green Up efforts in Chester.

Green Up bags are available at:

• Whiting Library, 117 Main St.
• Chester Hardware & Mercantile, 21 Main St.
• Erskine’s Grain & Garden, 54 Grain Store Road
• Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St.

Place filled bags in the dumpster at the Town Garage, 144 Town Garage Road. It will be available from Friday, May 2 through Monday, May 5. Please leave tires in a neat pile next to the dumpster.

The Green Up Mentor Program offers local high school students an opportunity to earn community service hours while actively contributing to the Green Up initiative. Interested students are encouraged to take advantage of this chance to make a meaningful difference in the community.

Whiting Library’s Green Up Day celebration — located at the library at 117 Main St. — includes a seed-planting workstation, with all of the supplies and knowledge that you need. Attendees can also explore the community seed library, which is sponsored by Mountain Valley Climate Action 350VT and Chester Community Greenhouse and Gardens.

For further information, visit Green Up Vermont’s website or send an e-mail to Frank Kelley or Carrie King.