Don't Trash Wareham had a very good year!

In April, our weekend town-wide annual cleanup was a great success. Teams, families, neighbors, student groups, organizations, church groups, town officials and citizens participated, filling up two full size trash dumpsters donated by Coventa/SEMASS.

DTW then set out our Take Pride in Wareham and Take Pride in Onset---Keep it Clean signs around town. The signs stayed in place during the summer months and the consensus was that the town stayed pretty clean thanks to continued vigilance and volunteering.

In June, we visited several fourth grade classes at Minot Forest School to discuss litter-prevention, and with a Wareham Cultural Council grant, offered educational programs for the entire first and second grade classes at Decas School. Each child received a backpack with a Keep America Beautiful coloring book and crayons and an auto litter bag purchased with a grant from Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank.

We also partnered with the Wareham Land Trust which served as our fiscal agent, allowing us to apply for grants. We were also fortunate to receive a grant from the Community Events Committee to assist us in advertising our events and to provide updates to the public.

In the fall, we once again participated in the state-wide COASTSWEEP program where volunteers cleaned Onset and Shell Point beaches, Little Harbor beach and the Swifts Neck and Swift beaches.

We would like to thank the Wareham Garden Club, The Onset Bay Association, the Harbormasters and Municipal Maintenance Departments, the Wareham Historical Society, the Wareham Village Association, the School Department, teachers, students, clubs and advisers, the Kiwanis, the Best Buddies, the Boys and Girls Club, the Wareham Land Trust, the Board of Health, the Wareham Free Library and Spinney Branch, the WCTV, the YMCA, the Wareham Selectmen and Town Administrator, and all the volunteers who helped this year to make Wareham and Onset clean and inviting to our residents and visitors. It really does take a community!

Looking forward to 2017, we will continue working with students and student organizations, will be coordinating with the Wareham Free Library as part of their Summer Reading Program, will organize another annual cleanup in April and a COASTSWEEP cleanup in the fall, and of course, will continue to pick up litter!

Remember, litter attracts litter, so we would like to make a New Year's Wish. We wish that NO ONE throws litter, cigarette butts, nip bottles, etc. on our beautiful streets, beaches and parks. And we also wish that if you see litter, you will help us to keep our town clean by joining our efforts and picking it up! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Best Regards from the DTW Team,

Nora Bicki, Mary Bruce, Jaimie Rebhan, Alan Slavin and Judy Whiteside