Spring cleanup

Jessica Backen is looking forward to the day litter is no longer a problem in the city.

“We are blessed in Thunder Bay to have such beautiful natural assets like our waterways, our trails, our beaches. Like many other areas, we can’t escape a problem that happens everywhere and that’s litter,” said the green events coordinator for EcoSuperior.

Friday was the launch of the 16th annual Spring Up to Clean Up campaign with the 20-minute makeover kicking things off this year.
The makeover saw workplaces across the city come out at 10 a.m. Friday to pick up the litter in their neighbourhoods.

The campaign runs throughout May with businesses, community groups, families and individuals volunteering to clean up areas across the city.

Spring Up to Clean Up began in 1996 with about 5,000 people cleaning up 65 areas of the city. Since then the event averages 11,000 people per year picking up garbage in more than 250 areas.

“The fact we have so many volunteers come out each year really shows that people care about their neighbourhoods,” said Backen. “Right now the volunteers that we have we really appreciate their help and they do come out every year to support us and our community.”

This year’s kickoff event was hosted by the Ontario government building on James Street. Ministry of Environment regional program services supervisor Don Mitchell said Spring Up to Clean Up fits in perfectly with other green initiatives the ministry takes part in to help reduce the carbon footprint.

He said while the total amount of garbage they’ll pick up in their specific area may not be substantial in the bigger picture, it goes a long way towards changing people’s state of mind.

“It helps to display an attitude to people that you ought to be a steward of your environment,” Mitchell said. “We as the Ministry of the Environment should be leading by example and it’s just something we think is important.”

People can sign up for Spring Up to Clean up at www.ecosuperior.org.