March 22-30, 2025
Rockbridge Conservation’s Annual Community Cleanup
For over three decades, Rockbridge Conservation has been spearheading the Annual Community Cleanup in Rockbridge County! We partner with local organizations and governments and hundreds of volunteers to remove trash from our county’s roads and streams.
Rockbridge Conservation, Rockbridge County and VDOT are enlisting the efforts of organizations and groups, students, families, and individual volunteers to help beautify our Rockbridge home.
Sign up to participate in the 2025 clean-up! Groups or individuals are welcome!
Like a little friendly competition? Scroll down this page to learn about the Litter Cup Challenge!
Please sign up at the link below prior to the event to claim your cleanup area!
Sign up Form — Rockbridge Area Clean Up
Help us get the word out!
Print out this flyer and post it at your work, church or neighborhood store, or email the flyer your friends. Thank you!
Check the map below to see cleanup crews are needed and also where other folks have signed up. The Community Cleanup Coordinator will put your group/location on the map after you sign up.
Partnerships for the Cleanup!
Supplies:
On or about Friday, March 14, orange bags and safety vests will be available at the following locations:
- Adopt-a-Highway groups: VDOT office
- Everyone else: Any County Recycling Center or any branch of the Rockbridge Regional Library.
After the clean-up, please return orange vests and leftover bags to the recycling center, library or the Rockbridge Conservation office within two weeks following the event. The vests are expensive and must be re-used.
Help us get the word out! Print out this flyer and post it at your work, church or neighborhood store, or email the flyer your friends. Thank you!
Tips:
Where to leave bags: VDOT will collect orange trash bags left along the roadside. You may leave large items for disposal (tires, wire, etc.) next to orange bags. If you work in an area inaccessible to VDOT trucks, please move bags to the nearest roadway.
Recycling: If collected, clean, and separated, recycling should be delivered to a County Recycling Center. This is a great project that will help reduce the burden on our landfill. The county will take plastics #1 & #2, aluminum and tin cans, and all colors of glass bottles.
Safety:
- Interstate on-ramps and off-ramps are “off-limits” per VDOT due to safety concerns.
- Cleanup participants are advised to wear gloves and orange safety vests, work facing traffic, and be very careful on busy roads.
- Large CAUTION signs are available from VDOT.
- Volunteers assume responsibility for their own safety and supervision; no other agency (Rockbridge Conservation, VDOT, local governments, etc.) can assume liability for any damage, injury, or loss to any person from any cause.
Different dates:
You are welcome to choose different dates, or postpone due to weather, but if picking up on an alternate date, please alert our Annual Clean-Up organizers at cleanup@rockbridgeconservation.org to arrange bag pick-up by VDOT.
Want to try for the Litter Cup? Sign up to participate in the 2025 clean-up and let us know you want to join the Litter Cup Challenge! Groups or individuals are welcome!
Litter Cup Challenge:
In an effort to raise additional awareness about litter issues in our community the Annual Rockbridge Community Cleanup will once again include the Litter Cup Challenge! The group collecting the greatest number of bags takes possession of the Litter Cup created by Mark Cline (see above) until next year.
Last year, the Litter cup went to the the ‘Litter Eliminators’, who collected over a hundred bags, and honorable mention went to ‘G Litterbugs’ for a close second!
Can you gather the winning team this year? Participate in the Litter Cup Challenge during the Annual Community Cleanup Week to see if you can take possession of the Litter Cup!
Of note:
- If you have an on-going cleanup project such as Adopt-a-Highway, we encourage you to share in the spirit by doing your work during the community clean up period..
- You may design your own project (such as picking up trash along county roads or city streets, cleaning up a park or trail, or hauling items out of a roadside dump).
- Or, if you wish, we will suggest a job from our list of areas in need of cleaning up. Check the map to see if people have suggestions.
Litter Cup Challenge Rules:
- The Litter Cup Challenge is open to any Rockbridge County, Lexington City and Buena Vista City club, organization, business, school, family, or individual(s).
- Please provide a team name if you are participating in the Litter Cup Challenge. Each team must sign up via the online form on this website and designate a roadway or project.
- Each team must have a list of team members and roadways cleaned. Teams will submit photos of each full bag of trash, tires and/or debris collected. Photos must be sent to cleanup@rockbridgeconservation.org or a collage on poster board can be dropped off at the Rockbridge Conservation office (above Wells Fargo) or the Community Development Office, 150 S. Main Street, Lexington, VA 24450. Please submit your documentation by close of business on the Friday following the clean up event to be considered.
- Participants will be judged on the number of bags of trash collected on the County and City roadways. Judges will determine the winning team based on the photo documentation presented to them. Note: Rockbridge Conservation and the County of Rockbridge reserve the right to use any photo documentation from the Litter Cup Challenge in educational and press materials.
- The winning team will be presented with the Litter Cup, and will maintain possession of the Cup until the next Community Cleanup event.
