BILLINGS — If you drove around the city of Billings Saturday morning, you likely saw several groups of volunteers dressed in yellow vests cleaning up trash.
It's all in the name of keeping the city bright and beautiful.
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The Great American Cleanup is a national event, organized by Keep America Beautiful, typically scheduled the same week as Earth Day.
Bright n' Beautiful, a billings nonprofit founded in 1988, is an affiliate of the national organization. Bright n' Beautiful held its Great American Cleanup in Billings on Saturday morning.
While the Great American Cleanup is not new to Bright n' Beautiful, Cindy Peters, the executive director, is.
Peters is Joanie Tooley's successor, having officially started in early March.
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"It's been a busy six weeks... It's just been such a great organization. I really want to serve Bright n' Beautiful well," Peters said Saturday.
While the Great American Cleanup took place Saturday, the event took months of planning.
Overall, Peters estimates about 1,100 volunteers assisted in the 2025 event, including in the planning process and Saturday's cleanup.
Last year, the event had about 1,300 volunteers, and over seven tons of litter collected.
But the execution of the Great American cleanup was more than just Bright n' Beautiful's effort. In all, the event was a collaboration between volunteers and organizations across the city, such as the Yellowstone River Parks Association.
"The volunteers in our organization put in about 8,000 hours of volunteer work each year to keep all (of our parks and trails) clean," said Carolyn Sevier, the executive director of the Yellowstone River Parks Association. "(The Great American Cleanup) really helps raise the profile of those park spaces, and it also raises the profile value of volunteer work."
Also volunteering on Saturday was Beth Hollenbeck, a board member with Bright n' Beautiful who co-owns Billings Weed Man, a local lawn service company.
Employees of Billings Weed Man drove pick up trucks Saturday morning to transport litter collected to trash bins.
"I think it's great for us to give back to the community. We've been really fortunate with how receptive the community has been to us in the last eight years, and we just like to remember what got us there," Hollenbeck said Saturday. "If you have a few extra minutes, I'd say grab a bag and do a little cleanup. We do have a lot of parks left around the community that could use a little help."
Peters told MTN that the mayor of Billings, Bill Cole, also contributed to the event.
"(Mayor Cole) proclaimed April as the "Great American Cleanup Month," and that really helps get the word out and gets folks excited that we're all working together during a certain time, to pick up litter," she said.
As Peters finished up her first big event with Bright n' Beautiful, she says between volunteers, the mayor, and community organizations, it was a job well done, and one that anyone can do.
"Just as you go about life, if you see litter, just take a second and pick it up, and it really does make a difference," said Peters.
To learn more about Bright n' Beautiful's upcoming Arbor Day event, visit this link.
