Milford Beautification Day Nets 13 Truckloads Of Trash

MILFORD, MA — The 2022 Milford Beautification Day litter pickup event was a big success, with about 150 volunteers huge amounts of trash from animal skulls (yes, really) to mattresses and a problematic number of water bottles filled with urine, according to organizers.

The event was held on Saturday, with volunteers fanning out across Milford to different locations, including the Upper Charles Trail, town parks, roadsides and parking lots. In total, the volunteers collected enough trash to make 13 pickup truck trips to the transfer station. The volunteers also collected bulk waste, like car parts and furniture.

"Volunteers picked up a variety of garbage, a lot of which we see every year, such as empty drink containers, candy wrappers, nip bottles, masks and mattresses. More unusual items collected this year include men’s underwear, an animal skull and mousetraps with dead mice attached. Organizers are disappointed to report that plastic water bottles filled with urine continue to be a problem," Citizens for Milford said in a news release.

The 2022 beautification day was the seventh held in Milford. The event attracted volunteers from all corners of town, including high school students, scouts and local officials like Town Moderator Michael Bon Tempo, Town Administrator Richard Villani, Select Board member Michael Walsh, state Rep. Brian Murray and state Sen. Rebecca Rausch.

There were also several satellite events that took place before Saturday's main event. Employees from Tingley Home Services helped pick up the Upper Charles Trail, Milford Federal Bank volunteers cleaned up downtown and inmates from the Northeast Corrections Center in Concord tended to busier roads like Dilla Street, Central Street and Route 140.

The Milford Lions Club provided hamburgers and hot dogs to volunteers, and Friends of the Milford Upper Charles Trail, the Milford Highway Department and Amazon donated money to buy supplies like gloves and bags for the cleanup, organizers said.

"We could not host Beautification Day without the help and labor of so many different people and organizations. We deeply appreciate everyone’s efforts and would like to remind all residents to be careful with your trash and to consider taking the time to pick it up when you see it," Beautification Day Chair Amie Sanborn said in a news release.