Charles River Cleanup

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

Join us for our 27th Annual Charles River Cleanup on Friday, April 24th and Saturday, April 25th from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM.  

Corporate and Community groups, please fill out our 2026 Charles River Cleanup request form:  

GROUP FORM

For individual volunteers, please register here:  

INDIVIDUAL FORM

If you have questions regarding registration, please email our Volunteer & Sustainability Coordinator, Molly Ryan at mryan@esplanade.org.  

  • Photo by EA Staff

  • Photo by Pam Steel

  • Photo by Safiya Bobb

  • Photo by EA Staff

  • Photo by Pam Steel

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About the Charles River Cleanup

Every year the Charles River Cleanup recruits over 3,000 volunteers who come together to remove trash from the Charles River and the Muddy River. Thanks to our local partners who work in different areas of the river, the cleanup helps to maintain all 80 miles of the Charles River and the 1,100 acres of the Emerald Necklace Park surrounding the Muddy River. Volunteers report a sense of pride knowing that their efforts will have an impact on the entire river ecosystem.  

The cleanup builds on a national effort as part of the American Rivers’ National River Cleanup, which to date has removed over 25 million pounds of trash from American waterways.

Registration

Please see below for contribution rates by group size:

Group SizeDonation Amount
1 – 10 Volunteers $2,000
11 – 20 Volunteers $4,000
21 – 30 Volunteers$6,000
31 – 40 Volunteers$8,000
41 – 50 Volunteers$10,000
50+ Volunteers Contact Molly Ryan (mryan@esplanade.org)

Logistics

  • Equipment

    The Esplanade Association will provide all the necessary equipment (including gloves, trash bags and trash pickers) and training for the Charles River Cleanup.

  • What to Bring

    We encourage volunteers to bring comfortable warm clothes, close-toed shoes, and a water bottle.

  • Rain or Shine

    This event is rain or shine unless there is a chance of inclement weather (i.e. heavy rain, thunderstorms, heat waves, etc.) 

  • Where To Go

    Please note that there are five different starting locations along the Charles River Esplanade where volunteers will meet. All locations are near public transportation and public restrooms. Our team will inform you and your party about your designated location before the day of your event. 

Thank you to the groups who participated in the 2025 Cleanup!

Acadian Asset Management

Achilles International

Bay State IT

BlueWave Energy

Boston Childrens Hospital

Boston Terps

Boston University Student Wellbeing, Residence Life, Questrom School of Business, Alumni Relations.

Bruner/Cott Architects

BU High school

Dynamo Software

Gay For Good Boston

JetBlue

Latham & Watkins

PURE Insurance

PwC

Roland Berger

Silversmith Capital Partners

SS&C

Stax

Target

The Henry Price Lodge

The Junior League of Boston

University of Michigan Club of Greater Boston

Wasabi Technologies

Thank you to our Partners