RNeighbors News and Events

Spring LBB pickup will take place April 19-27, 2025. February 24-28, 2025 registration start date. You can make a difference during Litter Bit Better! Will you join in the effort? You can help by volunteering to pick up Rochester. This would be a great service project for a group such as households, families, neighborhoods, individuals, and workplaces. Trash bags can be picked up the week before the event at the Government Center, 151 4th St SE, and the Development Services & Infrastructure Center, 4001 West River Pkwy NW. Look at the map and complete the registration for the site number you…

The results are in! Over 12,320 pounds of litter was collected by A Litter Bit Better volunteers during this year’s event. An estimated 3,164 volunteers picked up 324 sites that covered many locations around Rochester. Neighborhoods were beautified, citizens gave back to their community, and all that waste was prevented from polluting our land and water. Special thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors for making this program possible for the last 18 years!

2022 was the 15th annual Litter Bit Better event. Each year, thousands of volunteers collect litter from across Rochester. Together in the past 15 years, individuals, service groups, businesses, scout troops, faith-based organizations, neighborhood associations, and families have worked together to remove over 321,286 pounds of litter from the community. The ultimate goal of the program is to prevent water pollution by eliminating litter-causing behavior in the City of Rochester. The removal of this waste reduces potential land and water pollution while beautifying our cityscape.Participants in the event build community ties and reinforce a strong sense of community pride.

2021 was the 14th annual Litter Bit Better event. Each year, thousands of volunteers collect litter from across Rochester. Together in the past 14 years, individuals, service groups, businesses, scout troops, faith-based organizations, neighborhood associations, and families have worked together to remove over 152 tons of litter from the community. The ultimate goal of the program is to prevent water pollution by eliminating litter-causing behavior in the City of Rochester. The removal of this waste reduces potential land and water pollution while beautifying our cityscape. Participants in the event build community ties and reinforce a strong sense of community pride.…

With the health and safety of community members as a top priority, the Litter Bit Better planning team has decided to cancel the 2020 event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The planning team with representatives from RNeighbors, Olmsted County Environmental Resources, and the City of Rochester, are encouraging residents to find ways to do smaller, independent litter clean ups in their neighborhood. Litter Walks: Bring a small trash bag on any walks you take and pick up any litter along the way. If your dog comes along, be sure to clean up their waste too. Prevent litter at home: Place all…

Please see media release on cancellation, page updated 9.29.2020. “The health and safety of our Litter Bit Better volunteers are of the highest importance,” said Stephanie Hatzenbihler, Environmental Education Specialist for the City of Rochester. The Litter Bit Better planning team decided last week to postpone the annual citywide cleanup event until October. The planning team with representatives from RNeighbors, Olmsted County Environmental Resources, and the City of Rochester discussed reasons why a postponement is in the best interest of the event and its dedicated volunteers, as well as, ideas for how Rochester residents can still do their part to…

With the health and safety of community members as a top priority, the Litter Bit Better planning team has decided to cancel the 2020 event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The planning team with representatives from RNeighbors, Olmsted County Environmental Resources, and the City of Rochester, are encouraging residents to find ways to do smaller, independent litter clean ups in their neighborhood. More info here. The week of May 9-17, volunteers from our community will be out in force collecting trash and recycling to beautify the City of Rochester and give a helping hand to our great outdoors. Registration is…

We challenged all fourth grade students in Rochester to draw a brightly colored picture that displays: Why it is important to not litter How you will make Rochester A Litter Bit Better! There were 292 entries from 18 schools across Rochester. With all of these fun and colorful entries it was a tough choice but our team of judges narrowed it down to one winner per school (who submitted entries) and one Grand Prize winner. 2019-2020 A Litter Bit Better! Poster Contest Winners Grand Prize Bhavya Yerriboyina Washington Elementary Ruby Anderson Bamber Valley Elementary Evie Strouf Hariet Bishop Elementary Lucy Peck…

2019 was the 13th annual Help Make Rochester A Litter Bit Better! event. Each year, thousands of volunteers collect litter from across Rochester. Together in the past 13 years, these individuals, service groups, businesses, scout troops, faith-based organizations, neighborhood associations, and families have worked together to remove over 150 tons of litter from the community. The removal of this waste reduces potential land and water pollution while beautifying our cityscape. Participants in the event build community ties and reinforce a strong sense of community pride. The ultimate goal of the program is to prevent water pollution by eliminating litter-causing behavior…

For the twelfth year, we challenged all fourth grade students in Rochester to draw a brightly colored picture that displays: Why it is important to not litter How you will make Rochester A Litter Bit Better! There were 193 entries from 15 schools across Rochester. With all of these fun and colorful entries it was a tough choice but our team of judges narrowed it down to one winner per school (who submitted entries) and one Grand Prize winner. 2018-2019 A Litter Bit Better! Art Contest Winners Grand Prize Winner Caleb Allen Schaeffer Academy Lila Sas Jefferson Lillian Morrisey Washington Logan Smedberg Gibbs…

Pinewood Ridge Neighbors cleaned up their neighborhood for Litter Bit Better 2017. The week of April 21 – 28, over 3,000 volunteers from our community will be out in force collecting trash and recycling to beautify the City of Rochester and give a helping hand to our great outdoors. Registration is open March 7–April 27. Individuals and teams can register to focus their clean-up efforts in a selected area of town by visiting RNeighbors.org and completing the online registration form. This is a FREE volunteer event and instructions are provided along with trash and recycling bags. So pick…

For the eleventh year, we challenged all fourth grade students in Rochester to draw a brightly colored picture that displays: Why it is important to not litter How you will make Rochester A Litter Bit Better! There were 224 entries from 9 schools across Rochester. With all of these fun and colorful entries it was a tough choice but our team of judges narrowed it down to one winner per school (who submitted entries) and one Grand Prize winner. 2017-2018 A Litter Bit Better! Art Contest Winners Grand Prize Winner Emina Brgulja Gibbs Elisa Adams Elton Hills Lillian Morrisey Washington Maddie Buehler Schaeffer…

2017 was the 11th annual Help Make Rochester A Litter Bit Better! event. Each year, thousands of volunteers collect litter from across Rochester. Together in the past 11 years, these individuals, service groups, businesses, scout troops, faith-based organizations, neighborhood associations, and families have worked together to remove over 131.4 tons of litter from the community. The removal of this waste reduces potential land and water pollution while beautifying our cityscape. Participants in the event build community ties and reinforce a strong sense of community pride. The ultimate goal of the program is to prevent water pollution by eliminating litter-causing behavior…

So far, over 122 tons of litter has been collected by thousands of citizens since the program began in 2007. This year’s event will be April 22-29 and registration is now open. Volunteers are encouraged to collect litter anytime during that week. Trash and recycling bags are provided, all you need to do is pick a location, pick a date, and pick it up! Registration information, maps and more can be found at www.RNeighbors.org/litterbitbetter. Litter makes our city look bad and can pollute our water. For the 11th year in a row, hundreds of citizens will join forces to prevent…

For the tenth year, we challenged all fourth grade students in Rochester to draw a brightly colored picture that displays: Why it is important to not litter How you will make Rochester A Litter Bit Better! There were 305 entries from 13 schools across Rochester. With all of these fun and colorful entries it was a tough choice but our team of judges narrowed it down to one winner per school (who submitted entries) and one Grand Prize winner. 2016-2017 A Litter Bit Better! Poster Contest Winners Grand Prize Aditya Manikonda Gibbs Elementary School Fiona Nickelson Schaeffer Academy Cynthia Chouangphaeng Sunset Terrace…

Calling all 4th Grade Teachers! Your students can play an important part in the 11h Annual Help Make Rochester A Litter Bit Better! city-wide litter collection event by participating in the poster contest! We are looking for artwork from 4th grade students in the City of Rochester that tell a story about littering in our community. One winner will from each participating school will be selected by a panel of judges. These school winners will be awarded an official A Litter Bit Better! t-shirt and a letter of appreciation from the Mayor of Rochester. These students will be invited to…

2016 was the 10th annual Help Make Rochester A Litter Bit Better! event. Each year, thousands of volunteers collect litter from across Rochester. Together in the past 10 years, 29,000 volunteers from service groups, businesses, scout troops, faith-based organizations, neighborhood associations, and families have worked together to remove over 122 tons of litter from the community. The removal of this waste reduces potential land and water pollution while beautifying our cityscape. Participants in the event build community ties and reinforce a strong sense of community pride. The ultimate goal of the program is to prevent water pollution by eliminating litter-causing…

The Rochester Family Y's Silver Sneakers Litter League! A $20 bill, a poster of Steven Segal, a 5’ x 7’ rug, a box of packaged sandwiches, a set of silverware, and a car bumper. What do these things have in common? They are just a few of the odd things found in Rochester during the last 9 years of litter clean-ups during the annual Help Make Rochester A Litter Bit Better! event. What will our volunteers find this year? So far, over 112 tons of litter has been collected by thousands of citizens since the program began in…