Bristol got a spring cleaning last week when dozens of volunteers scattered throughout the town picking up litter and debris that created an eyesore around town.

About 100 volunteers, including scout troops, families and members of Save The Bay, scoured a dozen locations in the annual clean-up sponsored by the Department of Public Works and Keep Bristol Clean.

On any given day in downtown Bristol, Stan Dimock, a Thames Street resident, takes it upon himself to pick up litter, sweep up dirt, and tend to several flower beds along Thames Street and on the sidewalks that run up to Hope Street. But during the spring clean-up, Mr. Dimock put down his gloves and stood near a table at Independence Park where Save The Bay volunteers checked in as they did their part to keep Bristol clean.

“It feels strange not cleaning up while everyone else is,” Mr. Dimock said of the role reversal.

But with volunteers like Herman Martin, the efforts were ongoing.

Mr. Herman is familiar with the waterfront area of Poppasquash Road and chose to police that area for trash.

“I’m a fisherman so I like to clean the area I go to,” Mr. Martin said.

What he found along the shoreline were countless empty plastic water bottles and bags of dog waste apparently tossed there by pet owners. Another volunteer reported picking up a number of empty alcohol "nip" bottles in the same area.

“We’ve had a good turnout,” said Carol Mello, a DPW employee who, along with Bob Holt, organized the event.

The DPW headquarters was the hub of activity, offering volunteers coffee and donuts to start the day, and bags and gloves to use throughout the day.

The town has held the community clean up for the past 27 years, said Mr. Holt. Ordinarily held around Earth Day in April, for the past two years Mother Nature didn’t cooperate, with rain hampering the number of volunteers who were hearty enough to brave the weather. This year's decision to delay the clean-up was rewarded with sunny skies and a record number of trash collected.

“This year we have more children out cleaning than we’ve had in a long time,” Mr. Holt said. To him, it is the youngsters who will instill an environmental conscience on the older generation.

“If you educated the children, they will educate their parents. That’s the formula,” he said.