First Annual Great Massachusetts Cleanup Yields Nearly 33 Tons of Trash

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Jul 15, 2016 12:00 PM ET

Keep Massachusetts Beautiful's first annual Great Massachusetts Cleanup wrapped up at the end of May with impressive results. Thanks to the efforts of nearly 9,000 volunteers and municipal leaders in 50 communities across the state, there are at least 33 fewer tons of trash and litter in Massachusetts. The Great Massachusetts Cleanup is a statewide effort of the Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup, the nation's largest community improvement program.

"This was the first year we compiled results from the many existing and recently organized litter cleanups that take place across the state each spring,” explained Neil Rhein, executive director of Keep Massachusetts Beautiful. “The results were encouraging. However, we realize there is much more that needs to be done to raise awareness about our state’s litter problem. We need to mobilize government, business, and volunteer resources to clean it up, or better yet, prevent littering behavior.”

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