New campaign to clean up shorelines offers to turn trash into cash

A plastic water bottle is discarded on the ground in this file image.

Georgian Bay Forever is tackling shoreline pollution in a unique way - by giving people the chance to win prizes for picking up trash.

The environmental charity has partnered with LitterLotto, a free app that encourages users to clean up litter in public spaces by offering weekly cash prizes and sponsored jackpots for each photo submission of a disposed item.

According to Georgian Bay Forever, the problem is pressing. Over the past three years, the organization has removed an average of 1,000 pounds of trash annually from beaches along Georgian Bay during its Shoreline Cleanup program. The most common items found include cigarette butts and single-use plastics.

“Even amid a global environmental conservation crisis, people still casually throw away their garbage in natural public spaces,” the organization said. “There is no doubt that people’s behaviour needs to change.”

Georgian Bay Forever says the app works by making litter clean-up more engaging and rewarding, while also shifting how people perceive waste. By adding a financial incentive, the organization hopes more people will notice and take action against everyday litter, rather than ignoring it.

The partnership is part of Georgian Bay Forever’s broader mission to protect local waters and ecosystems through education and community-based initiatives.

Residents and visitors can download the LitterLotto app for free to start submitting photos of properly disposed litter for a chance to win.