GREENFIELD — Local resident Javier Rivera noticed garbage strewn at the bottom of Bank Row and decided to do something about it.
Just after 2 p.m. Friday, Rivera was on a hill at the intersection of Mill and Deerfield streets, next to the railroad tracks, filling trash bags with discarded clothing, sheets and litter, among other trash items that had been left there.
“I used to come up here and it was never like this,” Rivera said, as he stuffed clothing up to the brim of one trash bag, and pulled out another, empty one. “This is our town — we’ve got to look out for it.”
Next to a rake, three other large trash bags and a plastic bin were filled to the brim.
Rivera, who’s lived in Franklin County his entire life, said his good deed was prompted by a friend, who posted a picture of the garbage on Facebook. About 30 minutes after starting, he had run out of bags and had to leave for more.
“It’s unbelievable, we do have resources around here. We all live here,” Rivera said, adding, “if we’re all willing to lend a hand, we’ll be OK.”