Beautification and Cleanups

Adopt-a-Park / Adopt-a-Spot-in-a-Park / Special Projects

Adopt-A-Park and Adopt-A-Spot-in-a-Park are programs to promote community involvement in maintaining and beautifying our city parks and to instill a sense of pride for parks and public spaces through volunteerism. A secondary benefit is the creation of a safe, clean, and well-maintained environment for all to enjoy! The programs encourage the participation of civic leagues and alliances, businesses, schools, churches, local service groups, sports associations, youth organizations and scout troops, etc., to perform various tasks on a regularly-scheduled basis for an agreed upon period of one year. The "special projects" are designed for performing specific work on a project-only basis (examples would be trash/litter
pickup and beautification projects such as planting, mulching and weeding).

Clean the Bay Day

bay-day-canoes June 3, 2023

Hosted by the City of Chesapeake and other Hampton Roads’ cities.

Individuals, groups, and organizations are encouraged to register to help to clean-up Chesapeake’s waterways.
Boaters and businesses along the waterway are especially needed to help with the clean-up.
Check back in 2023 to register.

Great American Clean-Up

March 24-25, 2023

JOIN the BIGGEST clean-up campaign of the year! Anyone can participate – individuals, organizations such as civic leagues, scouts, and businesses.

Ways “YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!”

Pick up litter
Plant trees/flowers
Plant a community garden
Conduct an environmental education program
Host a litter-free event
Check back in 2023 to register

Arbor Day Celebration

October 1, 2022

Join us for the 36th Annual Arbor Day Ceremony and celebration. You can watch a tree planting demonstration, receive a free tree seedling, and take a guided nature trail tour and experience the natural environment the Chesapeake Arboretum has to offer.

No registration required.

Arbor Day is sponsored by Parks, Recreation and Tourism. It is supported by the Chesapeake Arboretum, Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council, Agriculture Department, the Chesapeake Master Gardeners, and the Virginia Department of Forestry

City of Chesapeake Locality License Plate for Beautification and Conservation

A City of Chesapeake Locality License Plate for Beautification and Conservation can be purchased at any Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Office or online. The plate has an annual cost of $25 plus the cost of registration and personalization (if any). Of this cost, $15 will be used to fund Chesapeake beautification projects. This $15 portion of the cost may be tax deductible. To request use of License Plate Funds for a beautification project, please complete and return this form by April 30th.

Chesapeake Recycles Day

Bring your old electronics, paper and household hazardous waste to be recycled at any one of our Chesapeake Recycles events!

View the upcoming Chesapeake Recycles dates

Litter Bags

Litter bags are available for distribution at Chesapeake events, activities, and organization meetings.

For information or questions about the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council (CEIC) or its projects, call the Special Programs Office in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism at 757-382-6411.