Jennifer Doty tosses the trash she collected at the Chico Spring Clean event in Chico, California on Saturday April 20, 2024. (Molly Myers/Enterprise-Record)
CHICO — Community members collected baseballs, batting gloves, cigarette butts and small plastic trash — among other assorted items — Saturday during the fourth annual Chico Spring Clean Day.
The city holds the event during Earth Day weekend to clean up different parts of Chico. The parks division supplied trash bags, trash grabbers and a free t-shirt to those who volunteered.
Assistant parks and natural resources manager Shane Romain, ran the event’s headquarters at Hooker Oak Park helping volunteers sign up and grab their gear. Romain estimated about 150 people volunteered.
Many of the large yellow trash bags volunteers tossed in the dumpster at Hooker Oak Park were nearly empty.
“We’re very fortunate because there’s not going to be huge amounts of trash probably,” Romain said mid-morning. “It’s going to be micro trash, things like bottle caps and cigarette butts — but without volunteer groups like this, those things are just gonna stay there.”
Chico State students Jeffery Cauich, Alex Diaz and David Ramirez volunteered at the event without any particular group.
“I was surprised there was almost no trash already,” Diaz said, echoing Romain’s point.
Cauich moved from the Bay Area to Chico to study business analytics. “Even if you’re not really from here, you know, I think it’s still important,” Cauich said about volunteering in the community.
Another volunteer, Jennifer Doty, also recently moved to Chico from the Bay Area and said she thought volunteering would be a good way to get to know the community.
One of the volunteer groups that participated in the cleanup included Gril Scout troop 70473. Participating in the clean up contributed to the troop’s Earth Day badge, said troop leader and Girl Scout parent Shelby Knudsen. She said she hopes the girls learn to care about the Earth during the event.
“There’s so many things beyond cookies,” Knudsen said about the Girl Scouts.
The Chico Police Officers Association hosted a free lunch of barbequed hot dogs and hamburgers for the volunteers. Chico Police Officers Association President Tyler Rainey said events like this give the community a chance to interact with the police while they are not in uniform.
“A lot of times, you know, depending on the call, we’re meeting people at the height of a crisis,” Rainey said. “So people associate police with a negative contact, and this is a way we can make it positive.”
To further get involved, Romain said people should check the City of Chico volunteer calendar and to keep an eye out for Butte Environmental Council’s Big Creek Cleanup in September.
