RNeighbors, Rochester Neighborhood Resource Center

A big thank you to the Summer of Service students for keeping our neighborhoods clean and helping protect Rochester’s waterways this summer!

The group spent time around Wedgewood Hills Park marking storm drains with decals reminding everyone that Only Rain Goes Down the Storm Drain. While they were out, they also cleaned debris from storm drains, curbs, and gutters, collecting an impressive 30 pounds of litter and debris. That’s 30 pounds of pollution that won’t wash into our streams, rivers, and lakes during the next rainstorm!

We are grateful for these students' dedication to keeping our community and local waters clean during their summer break.

Inspired to help? Litter cleanups can happen any time of year. Whether you pick up a few pieces of litter during a walk or participate in programs like Litter Bit Better or ⁠Adopt-a-Drain⁠, every little bit helps protect our waterways and keeps our community clean. City of Rochester, MN Government Adopt-a-Drain MN

You Rochester-ites are amazing! April 25 - May 3 was the Spring 2026 Litter Bit Better event, and just look at what you accomplished:
3,235 Volunteers: Hundreds of families, schools, businesses, and neighborhood groups pitched in.
3,450 lbs. of Total Litter Collected: A massive dent in plastic pollution and waste!
223 Adopted Sites: Volunteers blanketed the city, cleaning up parks, trails, ditches, and neighborhoods.
12 Tires & 600 lbs. of Metal: Keeping these heavy items out of our local environment and waterways.
This spring wasn't just any regular cleanup, it marked the 20th Anniversary of keeping Rochester clean and beautiful! For two decades, neighbors, local businesses, schools, places of faith, clubs, and families have stepped up every spring as the snow melts to scour ditches, parks, waterways, and boulevards to clear out winter's leftover trash.
THANK YOU to everyone who registered, grabbed a trash bag, and spent their week making Rochester a better place to live. Special thanks to the incredible partners who make this massive coordination possible year after year: the City of Rochester, MN Government, Olmsted County Environmental Resources, Harters (for the roll-offs!), Durst Outdoor Services (for curbside pickup!), and Waste Management (WM).
Check out the full event recap at rneighbors.org/events/litterbitspring2026.

We've got piles of pics of sooooo many people out making the Earth a bit greener this spring! First up are groups from SPARK, Rochester MN Pride, Target, Rochester Athletic Club, and Homestead Addition Neighborhood Association, MN participating in .

Grab your buckets and feed your gardens with some free compost!

What a Saturday morning for Rochester’s urban forest! Green leafy thanks to the volunteers who came out to plant 160+ trees. This planting marked a milestone for the program: 8,000th volunteer who have planted the 9,000th tree since 2004! Thanks also to our program partners and event sponsor Waste Management. 🌳

The Conservation Corp is ready to get planting! Come out and give us a hand at the neighborhood around Sunset Terrace Elementary.