In celebration of Earth Day, the City of Rockland will host the Rockland Harborside Cleanup on Saturday, April 25. The Cleanup is an opportunity to care for Rockland’s shared spaces as a community and reduce the amount of litter and marine debris in and around Rockland Harbor.

The Cleanup will take place from 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., beginning at Harbor Park in Rockland. Cleanup volunteers will be provided with all the tools needed to help collect litter at various locations around Rockland’s waterfront.

“We are so excited to host the Cleanup again for a third year in a row—with a rain date this year!” said Jenny Carter, the City of Rockland’s Sustainability and Community Development Coordinator, in a news release. “Last year, over 6,000 cigarette butts were collected by over 90 volunteers. This has a huge positive impact on our harbor and waterfront, and coming together as a community to take care of our shared public spaces and harbor every year is a really special way to welcome Spring.”

In the morning, coffee and breakfast snacks will be served to volunteers, and local organizations will be tabling with program information. At noon, a free raffle and community cookout for all volunteers will be held to celebrate the day’s work.

In case of severe weather, a rain date for the Cleanup is scheduled for Sunday, April 26.

For more information and to sign up to volunteer, visit www.rocklandmaine.gov/earthday.

The Cleanup is organized in collaboration with the Rockland Energy and Sustainability Advisory Committee and the Rockland Harbor Trail Committee, and is made possible through the generous support of First National Bank, Rock City Coffee, Penobscot Bay Community Health Partnerships, Maine Coastal Program, Rubbish Project, Maine State Credit Union, Good Tern Co-Op, ScrapDogs Community Compost, Friends of Maine Coastal Islands, and the Maine Lobster Festival.