Johnson resident Leonard Prive has always loved nature and keeping things clean. He worked as a custodian for the Burlington School District for 39 years before retiring in 2015. During the early days of the pandemic, Prive decided to get off his couch and pick up trash along Routes 15, 100C and 100 between Underhill and Westfield. He begins his work when the snow melts and finishes by early May, when the greenery obscures the garbage. Prive volunteers 6 to 8 hours a day. Over the last few years, he’s filled hundreds of bags with litter, which he leaves by the side of the road for the Vermont Agency of Transportation to collect. Last year he filled 206 trash bags; this year, he filled between 106 to 108. He works in the treacherous ravines alongside roads and has sometimes dragged up larger items, such as a microwave, wet insulation and a fridge.

Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger met up with Prive in Johnson to catch a ride in his truck and watch him in action. He picked up pieces of a shattered plastic lawn chair and a blown-out tire from along Route 100 in Eden, then gathered piles of burnt metal and plastic bottles from a beach on the Lamoille River in Johnson. In two hours, he’d set aside two bags of trash and some larger pieces for pickup.

Prive hopes his work will inspire others to keep the roadways clean. Over the years there have been a few posts on Facebook about him and his work which have been shared hundreds of times.

Filming date: 5/24/24

Music: Steve Adams, “Highway One”

This episode of Stuck in Vermont was supported by New England Federal Credit Union.