Cape Bretoners mark Earth Day with community cleanup

Cape Breton University staff members take part in a campus cleanup on Earth Day. (CTV Atlantic / Ryan MacDonald)

Earth Day is being marked in 193 countries, with more than a billion people worldwide expected to take part – including staff members from Cape Breton University (CBU).

The group headed outside to clear up litter made visible after the winter snow melt.

“I don’t like to pick garbage because I wish it wasn’t there in the first place,” said Adam Brown, CBU’s sustainability coordinator.

In some parts of town, the trash is there despite signs warning against illegal dumping - or in at least one case, the fact a municipal watershed is nearby.

Middle Lake, off Mira Road, N.S., is part of the city water system. Just a few kilometers away, along Ormond Crescent, entire bags of trash can be found in the woods and in the ditch.

“It seems like there’s a bit of an ingrained disrespect here and I don’t know why,” said Brown. “I’m from here originally, and I grew up finding burnt out cars in the woods (and) litter around town. I don’t really know but we have some sort of disrespect for it.”

Last week, piles of trash were dumped off a bridge into the water in Little Pond, N.S.

However, those taking part in Wednesday’s Earth Day cleanup are more interested in finding solutions than pointing fingers.

“I just hope that people are being cognizant of where they put their trash and what they’re doing with the items that they are disregarding,” said participant Brett Shaw.

The litter problem also extends to areas outside the CBRM.

“There were some issues on Kelly’s Mountain where actually volunteers had given time to go up and try to clean things up,” said Victoria County Councillor Tim Donovan.

On other parts of the Cabot Trail, that kind of mess is rare.

Donovan thinks there is a simple explanation – pride.

“That it is because people are proud of what we have and they want to keep it pristine and looking the way it does,” he said.

Community cleanup efforts in CBRM are not just limited to Earth Day. The annual Great Cape Breton Cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, May 2.

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