ASHFIELD — Wanted: the weirdest trash in western Franklin County. A local 9-year-old is organizing a litter pickup competition to encourage people to clean up their communities.

Everett Miller has been focused on cleaning up trash for a few years now. He’s picked up litter along his street with his family and organized trash cleanups with his class at Sanderson Academy. Now, he is looking to get even more people involved.

“There’s a lot of trash and I want to help clean it up,” Everett said.

He said he was inspired to grow his community cleanup efforts after reading about available grant funding from a book distribution nonprofit called First Book. Each year, the organization hosts a contest, inviting children to make a difference in their communities by proposing projects that vary from building a community garden to developing a network of little free libraries.

“These young people bring to life the powerful idea of collective, community-based action and inspire all of us with the dedication to spark change,” First Book CEO Kyle Zimmer said in a statement.

In April, Everett won a $1,000 award from First Book’s Time for Change Youth Challenge. Everett was one of 15 students across the country — and the only Massachusetts resident — selected to receive a grant for various community-impact projects.

“I was really excited,” Everett said. “Over 100 people had entered and I won.”

With these funds, Everett put together a few litter pickup kits containing gloves, vests and grabber tools. Over the past few weeks, Everett took these kits and placed them at the libraries in Shelburne Falls, Colrain, Charlemont, Heath and Ashfield.

The kits are available for any community member to borrow, but Everett is inviting youth soccer teams in western Franklin County to check out the kits and participate in a trash pickup competition.

Throughout the soccer season, teams are encouraged to hold litter pickup days and record what they collect. The team that collects the most trash, measured by weight, will win a pizza party, to be held at their last soccer practice. Additionally, the team that collects the “weirdest” trash will win gift cards to Mo’s Fudge Factor for each player.

Participating soccer teams have until Oct. 27 to submit photos of their trash to Everett’s mother, Talia Miller. The winning team will be announced on Nov. 1.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.