THUNDER BAY -- The disappearing snow banks are revealing a more filthy side of the city.
As springlike temperatures force snow to recede, a winter's-worth of litter is starting to appear. The most prominent form of litter seems to be cigarette butts, which decorate nearly every sidewalk and building entrance in Thunder Bay.
"It’s been a long winter,” said Mayor Keith Hobbs. “When the snow goes, we see the dirt and cigarette butts and it’s pretty filthy. We’re trying to educate people to not litter."
A new cigarette waste education campaign is going to be introduced in the summer by EcoSuperior, with the hopes that it will help reduce the number of butts that end up on the ground.
“We’ll also be offering local community groups and businesses the opportunity to participate in a collection program so that the cigarette waste is recycled as opposed to landfilled” said Shannon Costigan, the waste reduction and litter prevention co-ordinator for EcoSuperior.
Cigarette butts aren’t the only problem that Thunder Bay has with litter, which is why the month of May is dedicated to the Spring Up to Clean Up campaign, an annual initiative that encourages volunteers to clean up litter around the city.
“It’s a civic pride thing” said Jason Sherband, the solid waste diversion and recycling co-ordinator for Thunder Bay . “People want a cleaner city and they don’t want litter on the ground”
The event annually pulls together around 10,000 people to help clean up the city.
“It makes us feel great because Thunder Bay is a beautiful place to live” Costigan said. “It really does make a difference when you get 10,000 people out in the city doing a cleanup."
