CFTRA roadside cleanup keeps getting bigger, and we’re here for it
Did you hear? The Chadds Ford Township Residents Association’s spring roadside cleanup set a bunch of records this year! 🏅
More than 35 volunteers (the largest turnout yet! 🫶🏻) gathered at the township building for coffee, donuts, and a little chit-chat before the clip-clop of their feet pounded the pavement to clean up litter along our roadways.
Volunteers collected more trash and cleaned more roads than ever before. For the first time in recent memory (possibly ever?), a volunteer tackled Brandywine Drive, a stretch that’s gone unassigned in cleanups past.
Every residential road in the township received attention this spring, with the usual exceptions of Routes 1 and 202, which fall under PennDOT’s jurisdiction and are better left to people with more advanced traffic control equipment. 🚧
💭 Have you seen how fast some of those fat cats drive down Route 1? 📣 Earth to PennDOT: any additional traffic calming infrastructure we could install on that stretch of asphalt, especially in conjunction with Walkable Chadds Ford?
What did they find during the roadside cleanup?
Notable finds from the field, courtesy of volunteer Jody Allen, who was keeping tabs, included:
- A partially disassembled wooden dresser on Webb Road
- A truck running board
- A used diaper in the middle of Ring Road
Does anyone ever wonder how (or why?) this stuff ends up on the streets? Maybe some of it falls out of a tipped trash can, blown over by the wind. But I feel like most of it lands there on purpose. Why??! 🤯 But thank you to our local volunteers who willingly clean up after our messy neighbors.
Cleaning together to create connections
Volunteers roll out of bed early on Saturday morning for a variety of reasons. For some, it might be the donuts. 🍩 No judgment, friends! For others, it’s the spirit of social connection and working together to take pride in making our community a beautiful place to live.
Worteck has watched the cleanup grow from a modest neighborhood effort into something that draws new faces every season, and this spring was no exception. Seeing so many first-time participants, she said, was a genuine joy. The buzz on Facebook afterward reflected the positive energy.
After the bags were tied: Brinton Run Preserve
For those who weren’t ready to call it a day, the morning flowed naturally into an afternoon at Brinton Run Preserve. The Chadds Ford Township Open Space Committee sponsored lunch for volunteers, and several people stayed to extend the cleanup into the preserve itself. The whole event was a fitting way to mark Earth Day.
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Mark your calendar for fall cleanup
The roadside cleanup runs twice a year: in spring (typically around Earth Day) and in late fall (details on last fall’s cleanup). If you missed this one, put the fall 2026 date on your radar. The fall cleanup is scheduled for October 24, 2026. Don’t miss it, or someone else might steal your free coffee and donut. ☕
Are you a CFTRA member?
If not, what are you waiting for?! 😉
🫶🏻 The Chadds Ford Township Residents Association is a volunteer, non-profit, civic organization that strives to create a strong sense of community within our township, support residents and businesses, and help retain the area’s unique historical quality and rural character.
💰 CFTRA is a non-political, non-partisan organization funded through donations and memberships from residents and businesses in the community. Funds cover the costs of CFTRA’s many successful community events each year that help them achieve their mission and build a stronger community in our town! It’s a small investment that yields big dividends of connection and resilience in Chadds Ford.
✨ Residents can sign up as individual members, or businesses can sign up through the business membership program (which includes some great promotional benefits). Check out their site to learn more and join today!
