2026 Minneapolis Earth Day Cleanup — Citywide

Minneapolis residents can join a citywide Earth Day cleanup on Saturday, April 18, with dozens of park sites open for drop-in volunteers at 9:30 a.m. (content.govdelivery.com) The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board said the 2026 cleanup will run from 9:30 a.m. to noon and span 35 sites across the park system. Volunteers do not need to preregister; they can pick a site and show up. (content.govdelivery.com) Minnesota Parent’s event listing describes the cleanup as the largest community service event in Minneapolis and says the effort includes more than 40 sites citywide. The listing says more than 25,000 residents have taken part since 2008 and removed more than 175,000 pounds of waste. (minnesotaparent.com) The cleanup is a joint effort between the park board and City of Minneapolis Solid Waste and Recycling. Park staff or volunteer coordinators will hand out bags and gloves, and the city will dispose of the collected material. (content.govdelivery.com; minneapolisparks.org) That setup makes the event closer to a neighborhood workday than a formal registration drive. The park board said each site will have a coordinator, and volunteers can stay for any amount of time during the morning event. (content.govdelivery.com; minnesotaparent.com) The park board is also using the event to organize future years. Its Earth Day page already lists a site-coordinator application for the 2027 cleanup on Saturday, April 17, with sites to be announced on March 12, 2027. (minneapolisparks.org) For Saturday’s cleanup, the park board told volunteers to wear weather-appropriate clothes and comfortable shoes for grass and uneven ground, and to bring water and snacks. It also said children are welcome with an adult and that volunteers should report heavy or hazardous items rather than handle them. (content.govdelivery.com) Parking rules will change for part of the morning: Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board meters and lots will not be enforced until 1 p.m. on April 18, while City of Minneapolis meters will still be enforced all day. The full site list and meetup points are posted through the cleanup’s location page. (content.govdelivery.com) For Minneapolis, the annual cleanup has become a standing April turnout event: one morning, dozens of sites, and thousands of pounds of litter measured over nearly two decades. This year’s version starts Saturday at 9:30 a.m. (minnesotaparent.com; content.govdelivery.com)