MANSFIELD, CT — The Town of Mansfield and the University of Connecticut are teaming up to organize a community-wide litter cleanup Saturday, Nov. 14, and are encouraging residents, students and other volunteers to take part.
The effort, called "Don't Mess with Mansfield," will focus on roadsides throughout town, including areas near the UConn campus.
One of the primary cleanup locations will be Pleasant Valley Road, where residents are encouraged to gather at Oak Grove Montessori School between 10 a.m. and noon to collect litter.
Gloves, safety vests and trash bags will be provided at the gathering location.
Beginning at noon, volunteers also can join UConn students in cleaning roads and other areas adjacent to the campus.
The university's Office of Sustainability, part of the Institute of the Environment and Energy, is coordinating the campus effort with student clubs, organizations, fraternities, sororities and other volunteers.
Seven supply stations will be available on campus from noon to 4 p.m., allowing students to pick up garbage bags and other supplies before heading out to collect litter.
The designated locations and cleanup areas include:
Additional information about the campus supply stations is available through the UConn Office of Sustainability.
Residents who want to organize their own cleanup groups also are encouraged to target other roads identified as needing attention, including Browns Road, Chaffeeville Road, Maple Road, Middle Turnpike (Route 44), Mansfield City Road, Moulton Road, Stearns Road, White Oak Road and Gurleyville Road.
The cleanup is part of a broader effort to address litter throughout Mansfield.
The town's Solid Waste Advisory Committee coordinates an Adopt-a-Road program that has volunteers committed to maintaining more than 100 sections of local roads. Several UConn fraternities and other student organizations also participate by adopting specific roads.
Dylan Steer, Mansfield's solid waste and sustainability coordinator, said the town has used some of its state funding from 50-milliliter liquor bottle deposits to purchase litter grabbers and garbage bag kits that residents can borrow.
Some of the kits are available through the Mansfield Public Library's tool-lending library.
The equipment allows residents and groups to organize independent roadside cleanups throughout the year, Steer said.
"We are excited to continue this initiative between UConn and the Town of Mansfield," Steer said.
Residents are encouraged to share photographs of their cleanup efforts, including filled garbage bags, on social media and tag the town. Photos also can be emailed to steerd@mansfieldct.org, along with information about where the litter was collected.
The Town-University Relations Committee began coordinating the "Don't Mess with Mansfield" initiative in fall 2024 in response to residents' concerns about litter along roads near the UConn campus and throughout town.
Organizers schedule cleanup efforts twice a year, with one taking place between Halloween and the arrival of colder weather and snow, and another in conjunction with Earth Day in the spring.
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