‘We’re seeing a lot of garbage surface’: City asks residents to take part in ‘Clean and Green Campaign’

CTV London’s Bryan Bicknell with the kickoff to the city's ‘Clean and Green Campaign.’

It’s the time of year to get your hands dirty and get the city clean.

“If every single one of us in the city picked up one piece of litter, one discarded McDonalds bag. That would be 484,000 pieces of litter, if we all just picked up one item,” said London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis.

Lewis was speaking at the launch of London’s 31st annual Clean & Green Campaign, held Tuesday at Toboggan Brewery on Richmond Street.

The event is 12 days of community cleanup, but it’s so much more, Lewis says.

“It’s also about how we want to look to businesses who want to come here and do business. It’s how we want to look to visitors who are coming here for the many great things that we have to offer. It is how we want to present ourselves to our province, the rest of the country, and the rest of the world,” he explained.

And it’s not just for aesthetics. The buildup of waste after winter’s melt often creates significant sanitary issues in the urban environment, including everything from foul odours to pest problems.

“We’re seeing a lot of garbage surface in our ditches, our parks, our sidewalks, everywhere we’re seeing a lot of garbage,” explained Shawna Chambers, London’s director of climate change, environment and waste management.

There are plenty of ways to get involved in the campaign. You can add your own cleanup location to an interactive map at London Clean and Green | Get Involved London.

You can take part in the ‘20 Minute Makeover’ on April 17 when local businesses, institutions and schools are encouraged to spend 20 minutes cleaning up outside their workplace.

You can also get involved in the ‘Community Cleanup’ on April 18.

“If you register your cleanup for the Saturday April 18, our garbage collection folks will come and pick up your garbage bags for you,” advised Chambers.

Meanwhile, community partner Goodwill Industries is asking residents to donate unwanted textiles, picking up on the ‘Worn or Torn Donation Drive’ pilot held in Byron last summer.

“Over three weeks we collected 35,000lbs of clothing and textiles that people were going to be throwing in the garbage. And what was so surprising was one per cent was true waste. The rest all could be repurposed,” said President and CEO, Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes Bev Kobe.