“I like cleaning up trash and knowing that there’s still so much work out there because it shocks you every time you go out there and see how much trash there is,” said cleanup volunteer Abhinav Rajaraman.
Hindu Swayamesvak Sangh Naperville-Aurora and SEWA recruited over thirty volunteers on Saturday to help clean up the roadside on 75th Street as part of their yearly highway cleanup.
“So today, as part of Earth Day and as part of community work, we go out four times a year to adopt a highway and clean up the sides of that highway,” said Hindu Swayamesvak Sangh Naperville-Aurora member Sudhindra Shukla.
“We are making sure that, with this highway clean-up, our community will be clean and safe. Another important point is that Earth Day is coming up, so in celebration of Earth Day, we are celebrating the Adopt a Highway clean up,” said Hindu Swayamesvak Sangh Naperville-Aurora member Kalyam Puntmbekar.
A mile stretch cleanup
Volunteers worked together by cleaning up trash and other debris, helping to make the roadside safer.
“We will divide into four groups. Each group will be around eight people, and we will be dividing into two sides of the highway starting towards the Dunkin Donuts, and to Naperville Plainfield Road on both sides, so that we can complete it within an hour,” said Shukla.
Ten years of HSS Naperville and SEWA keeping the roads clean
HSS and SEWA always look forward to this clean tradition every year. This marks ten years that the two organizations have been keeping the streets clean.
“When you walk down the highway working, cleaning it up, you’ll have a sense of feeling. That sense of feeling and satisfaction makes you happy while working with other people. Anything that makes you happy in your community is good, so coming together is good,” said Shukla.
There will be three more cleanups later in the year, with the next one in June.
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