Massachusetts Beautification Bulletin | March 19, 2026

Dear Friend,

The theme for Earth Day 2026 is "Our Power, Our Planet." As the Earth Day organizers write, "progress does not happen in silence. It happens when people show up." We encourage you to show up in your Massachusetts community this spring and participate in an Earth Day activity, whether it's a Great Massachusetts Cleanup event, an Arbor Day event, or an Earth Day festival. In the meantime, scroll down for other earthly updates.

C’mon Matt! KMB Anti-Litter PSA Now Airing on Boston TV

When you stop to think about it, the solution to our littering problem in Massachusetts is pretty darn simple—don’t litter! To date, however, no state agency has taken action to communicate this simple message across Massachusetts.

Our new public service announcement is a first step toward creating a statewide anti-litter education campaign. Thank you to Boston’s Connelly Partners for helping us create this video, which is currently airing on WCVB and WBZ TV in Boston. You can also see our video on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube, where we ask you to like and share this important message!

Senator Paul Feeney

Urge Massachusetts Leaders to Take Action Against Litter

Thank you to Senator Paul Feeney for supporting our Massachusetts Leaders Against Litter briefing on March 3rd at the State House.

Senate Resolve 2390 received UNANIMOUS support from the Joint Committee on Transportation last December. Now, we need YOUR HELP to create a statewide Litter Prevention & Cleanup Task Force.

Please contact Senator Michael Rodrigues, chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee, as well as your own State Representative and Senator, and urge them to pass this common-sense legislation.

Massachusetts Leaders Against Litter

Spring Cleanup Season Is Back!

The 2026 Great Massachusetts Cleanup kicks off this weekend. If you are organizing a spring cleanup, please be sure to add your event to our calendar to help attract more volunteers. Here is the first batch of cleanup events you can join:

March 21: Watertown-Cambridge Greenway Spring Cleanup
April 1–April 30: Westwood Townwide Cleanup
April 1–April 25: Plainville Spring Cleanup
April 4: Great Canton Cleanup
April 11: Foxborough Townwide Cleanup

For an up-to-date listing, visit our events calendar (we’re adding more cleanup events every day).

Join a Great Massachusetts Cleanup Event!

Welcome to Keep Dedham Beautiful!

We’re happy to welcome Dedham as the latest community to join our family of local KMB chapters. Formally known as Clean Up Dedham, Keep Dedham Beautiful is currently organizing several spring litter cleanups. Dedham residents can join their Facebook group or visit their webpage to learn more and get involved.

Launch a KMB Chapter in Your Community

Quotable: “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”

― Rachel Carson

Understanding Plastic Recycling

Few recyclable materials generate as much confusion (and skepticism) as plastics. To learn more about this topic, listen to MassRecycle’s State of Plastics Recycling podcast. In this episode, Steve Alexander, president and CEO of the Association of Plastics Recyclers, discusses the current state of plastics recycling.

Listen to the Podcast

From the KMB Blog:

Play Ball! Spring Litter Cleanup Season is Back

Red Sox fans may long for Opening Day at Fenway Park, but few things excite KMB volunteers more than the arrival of spring cleanup season. Now that the long period of intense frustration caused by winter’s inaccessible, snow-covered litter has come to an end, it's time to follow our five tips for reengaging with the world of litter cleanup.

Read Our Blog Post

Environmental News Worth Your Precious Time

Thank you for reading our newsletter and please contact me if I can answer any questions you may have about our programs, launching a local KMB chapter in your community, or sponsorship opportunities.

Sincerely,

Neil Rhein, Founder & Executive Director