Volunteers from the Raritan Valley Branch cleaned up the apple orchards behind the tennis court at East Brunswick High School on March 29, 2021. This was our first time visiting the area. Its name hinted to us its past history as apple orchards. What we saw was just a spacious open space with grassy ground in the middle and trees and bushes around the border. This was also where the high school track team used to practice before the pandemic school closure. Upon arrival we knew right away that this area had been left unattended for quite a while and we came at the right time. Everywhere we looked, we could easily spot trash and recyclables laying on the ground and around the trees and bushes. Over the time we spent there, we filled four large trash bags, with items ranging from way too many plastic bottles, wrappers, tennis balls to unexpected findings such as pieces from car tires and parts of a broken folding table. Leaving the apple orchards with our heavy trash bags, we turned around and enjoyed the fresh view after our work—the litter that had dotted the orchards was mostly gone. This is part of the school we attend/will attend and we are glad to have the chance to take care of it.
Volunteers: Benjamin Hong (1.5 hours), Tarun Sivakumar (1.5 hours), Amy Xu (1 hour), Xinning Lucy Liu (1 hour), Allan Gao (1 hour), Jessica Hong (1.5 hours), Alicia Xu (1.5 hours), Kevin Xu (1 hour), Jason Liu (1 hour)
