THUNDER BAY – The task of cleaning up a seemingly endless winter’s worth of litter and grime in Thunder Bay is underway.
City street sweeping crews have started to clear sidewalks and roadways of the gravel leftover from winter.
EcoSuperior is celebrating today as Spring Up to Clean Up celebrates its 26th year. The community-wide cleanup project started in 1996 to help keep Thunder Bay clean, green, and beautiful.
“Spring Up to Clean Up provides the tools needed to remove the litter left out in our environment. It helps to stop this litter from degrading further and causing harm to animals, humans, and Lake Superior,” says Jesse Hamilton, Rethinking Waste Program Coordinator, EcoSuperior.
“This program creates the opportunity for us to work together as Thunder Bay citizens. Spring Up to Clean Up shows that we can make a difference in our community and that we can help to care for the natural world around us.”
Throughout the entire month of May, all of the Thunder Bay community can join the cleanup efforts. There are many ways for those interested to get involved!
Community members are encouraged to clean up around their neighbourhood or in their favourite greenspace with family, friends, neighbours, or in community groups.
Workplaces can register for 20-minute-makeovers to clean outside their workplaces. Schools can get involved by having students come together and clean their schoolyard and neighbourhood, while educating them about the harms of litter in our natural world.
Those who register receive a free cleanup kit with all the tools they require for a safe and successful clean up. To sweeten the deal, even more, participants can enter contests, including a photo contest, poster contest for elementary students, and data collection contest, with a chance to win many local prizes.
“After 26 years, we are blown away at the level of community uptake and support for this program. City neighbourhoods become cleaner and more beautiful after each cleanup that takes place, and everyone benefits from the collective effort. Taking 20 minutes in the springtime to do a cleanup of your own helps contribute to an environment that we can all be proud,” said Lee Amelia, Coordinator Waste Diversion, City of Thunder Bay.
The program’s goal is to not only clean-up garbage, but to bring the community together in building a healthy future for people and the planet. EcoSuperior also recognizes the support of Impala Canada and Synergy North, to further enrich this beloved community campaign and thanks the many participants helping to keep our landscape and waterscape clean.
“I am so grateful for the continuing enthusiastic community support for this important annual event,” said Sue Hamel, Executive Director, EcoSuperior. “My hope is that community support continues to strengthen, not only for the cleanup, but also for preventing waste and litter from being created in the first place!”
