How Thousands of Pounds of Trash Get Picked Up in Rochester Every Spring

It's Officially "Squishy Dog Turd Season" in Minnesota

The snow melts. The grass finally shows up again. And suddenly...everything that was hiding all winter is now on full display.

Besides the nasty squishy dog turds, we are also seeing a lot of trash.

That's exactly why a local cleanup campaign stepped up about two decades ago - to make Rochester A Litter Bit Better.

How Much Trash Ends Up In Minnesota Landfills Each Year?

The Land of 10,000 Lakes is known for its gorgeous outdoor beauty.  But the amount of garbage we produce is pretty alarming.

• In the Twin Cities area alone, about 3.3 million tons of waste happens in our state each year. 
• About 2/3 of what is tossed into the landfills could actually be recycled. (CBS News)

What is "A Litter Bit Better" in Rochester, Minnesota?

Back in 2007, several residents in the Med City approached former Mayor Ardell Brede with an idea:

What if the community worked together to clean up Rochester?

That conversation sparked a volunteer initiative called "A Litter Bit Better".

That first year, over 20,000 pounds of garbage was picked up in the Rochester area by volunteers.

How to Join the "A Litter Bit Better" Cleanup in Rochester?

If you want to pitch in this spring, it's very simple:

• STEP 1: Choose An Area - You pick a cleanup location on the map that still needs volunteers
• STEP 2: Sign Up - Register at the official "A Litter Bit Better" website.
• STEP 3: Grab Some Friends - You can do this on your own or bring your family along, have an outing with your co-workers, or even your neighbors.
• STEP 4: Pick Your Clean Up Time - Figure out when you are going to go out on your own, with family, friends, or co-workers to help clean up all of the litter in that area.  (This year, the Litter Bit Better pickup dates are between April 25th through May 3rd, 2026)
• STEP 5: Grab Supplies - You don't have to use your bags.  There are garbage and recycling bags available at designated pickup locations.

Questions? Learn more on the A Litter Bit Better website.

Thousands of Bags of Trash Are Picked Up In Minnesota Every Year

The week where Rochester focuses on being A Litter Bit Better, you can visually see the difference in our town.  But the problem isn't just in the Med City.

Across Minnesota, a constant stream of volunteers are working to keep roads clean.  According to data from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Adopt-a-Highway volunteers removed roughly 29,000 bags of trash from our highways in 2024.

If you'd love to do even more to help our state stay clean and beautiful, check out the Adopt-a-Highway info here.

Townsquare Media cares about our community! Every year, we help the community in a variety of ways from supporting local fundraisers, to running daily public service messages, to creating digital community campaigns and hosting events attended by thousands.

Do you have a community event coming up or a fundraiser?  Let us know!  Contact us at jessica.williams@townsquaremedia.com or fill out the form requesting more info at our Townsquare Cares page.