Fourth of July in Boston brings more than half a million people to the banks of the Charles River Esplanade for a fireworks display accompanied by the Boston Pops symphony orchestra. A high volume of parade and concertgoers also means an infamously high volume of trash.

For such large-scale events, like the July Fourth celebration or the recent Celtics championship parade, the Public Work’s Highway Division increases staff before, during and after. The mayor’s office said in a statement that the majority of the work consists of cleaning up litter consisting of plastic cups, confetti and food wrappers and emptying trash receptacles.

The daunting cleanup effort on the Esplanade is undertaken by Boston's Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).

"Once the show wraps up, DCR staff members work throughout the night and into the early morning hours cleaning up trash and getting the Esplanade ready to reopen for parkgoers on July 5,” said a spokesperson for the DCR, in a statement made over email. The DCR employs 40 to 60 staff members working overnight, a task that begins 30 minutes after the show concludes and can last until 5am or later. The expense is put forward by the DCR as part of its effort to ensure the park is ready to reopen to the public on the following day.

In addition to the garbage waste generated by attendees, there are facilities such as hundreds of portable toilets and concert equipment such as sound and lighting towers that also must be cleaned and removed.

The Fireworks Spectacular’s logistics organizer, Stephen MacDonald, said in an interview that the pace of facilities removal is heavily dependent on weather. Rainy conditions on the fourth or over the weekend, make a timely cleanup more difficult.

However, since the majority of the equipment is rented at the expense of the event sponsors, and the Hatch Shell has a busy summer schedule, the crew moves fast.

Television production trailers, and the 10 portable generators that power them, begin packing up cables and camera equipment as soon as the show is over and look to take advantage of the still closed Storrow Drive to be clear of the area by the next morning.

As the concert takes place on a Thursday, MacDonald expects weekend vacationers to contribute to light traffic on Friday, aiding in the further removal of sound equipment, staff catering tents and portable dressing rooms.

MacDonald said the last facilities to be gone likely by midweek of the following week would be the event production RVs and the fencing that contained the production area behind the Hatch Shell.