To the Editor:

I would like to thank everyone who takes the initiative to pick up trash along our town’s roadways, even though the trash is not your own. Road trash, including bottles, cans, food containers and more not only spoil our otherwise beautiful natural landscapes but can also be harmful to birds and other wildlife.

It does take an effort to get outdoors, with bag in hand, on a mission to scoop up, drag out and secure these throw-away receptacles and containers that, more often than not, create a challenge when caught in brambles, shrubbery and ditches.

You are thoughtful individuals, families and groups who do not ignore these out-of-place objects that have become so common along our streets and neighborhoods. I know you do this out of a sense of pride for our community.

I salute each and every one of you as Newtown’s road-side heroes.

Holly Kocet

Chair, Newtown Conservation Commission