‘Trashy Lady’ cleans up Montreal to support local animal shelter

Montreal's 'Trash Lady' cleans up the city to support the local SPCA.

Carolina Yanez didn’t set out to become a local icon with a trash picker in hand and a pink donation bin by her side.

She just needed to go outside.

After long hours working a desk job and managing depression, she found herself craving fresh air — and purpose. What started as quiet walks through the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough quickly turned into something bigger: a mission to clean up the streets and raise thousands of dollars for the Montreal SPCA.

She’s given herself the nickname “Trashy Lady,” which she uses on social media to promote her initiative and raise awareness. Yanez isn’t a city worker and she’s not being paid to do this — she’s just a one-woman clean-up effort, three to four times a week, rain or shine.

“I believe this is the easiest way for anyone looking to get involved in their community,” Yanez said. “There’s no schedule, no one in charge to report to, and, while unfortunate, there’s always going to be trash to pick up.”

A mission born from struggle

Yanez launched her current 50-day fundraising challenge at the beginning of July. The goal is to raise $8,000 for the Montreal SPCA by the end of it. She’s already halfway there, having raised over $4,000 on her Go Fund Me campaign, while simultaneously having collected nearly 4,000 pieces of garbage in the process.

“My goal is $8,000 right now, but I do have in the back of my mind that maybe I could become the Greta [Thunberg] of trash,” she jokingly said, with a hint of seriousness and determination.

But her connection to the animal shelter runs deeper than those donations.

Earlier this year, Yanez visited the shelter and asked for the cat the Montreal SPCA staff deemed would be hardest to adopt. She was introduced to April, a shy feline who had been rescued from a hoarding case involving more than 20 cats. April spent her first few months in Yanez’s home hiding in a closet, only emerging to eat or use the litter box.

Wanting to help her new family member come out of her shell, Yanez adopted a second pet: a kitten named Eclipse. The two cats, though wary of each other at first, eventually bonded.

Now, they’re inseparable and central to Yanez’s life. “They simply fill my life,” she said.

A new home with a new purpose

Originally from Ecuador, Yanez moved to Montreal with her older brother at age 17 to attend university. She was determined to succeed, but the transition was anything but easy.

“The worst time I found myself in mentally was during university,” she said. “There was never a thought in my mind to return to Ecuador or abandon school — that simply wasn’t a possibility to me. But the pressure to succeed, to not let anyone down, it was a lot.”

Being far from home made it harder. Her family wasn’t around to celebrate achievements or ease the stress of major deadlines, and she didn’t want to worry them from afar.

Adjusting to the various cultural differences in Canada made things even harder. From navigating a different language and new customs, to adapting to the cold climate, particularly the long winters and shorter daylight hours, Yanez found herself stretched thin.

“Not everyone realizes this, but seasonal depression can be pretty hard,” she said. “For me, it was so crazy to finish class at 3 p.m. and realize it was pitch black outside.”

During that time, she and her brother adopted a black cat named Helita. When they moved into separate apartments, they fought over who would keep her. Yanez let her brother win but soon came to terms with how she couldn’t live without a cat.

That’s when she adopted Skady from another shelter — a “rough-looking” but irresistibly sweet cat who helped her navigate young adulthood. They were together for four years until Skady died of cancer.

After an overwhelming amount of grief, and with enough time, Yanez felt ready to adopt again in the spring. That’s when she turned to the SPCA and met April.

“I know firsthand how seriously everyone [at the shelter] takes the care of these animals,” she said. “Not just the staff, the volunteers, too. It’s a beautiful organization where they really care.”

Plus, she added, “they’re the reason why I have my cat today.”

Trash, social media and community

Yanez first started picking up garbage casually in March. At the time, it wasn’t part of any campaign — just something that felt right during her walks.

“I have struggled a lot with depression,” she said. “So sometimes, even something small like going outside or taking a walk feels like climbing a mountain. But I wanted to do something positive that let me connect to my community.”

It quickly became a habit and a bit of a thrill.

“You pick up trash, and then you feel good about yourself. That dopamine hit you get from scrolling online? That’s what I get when I do this,” explained Yanez.

So, when she decided to embark on her mission to raise funds, she started filming short videos of her outings, documenting her mission, and sharing them on social media. Her Instagram page now feature montages of trash-picking, humorous captions, and the occasional cameo from her cats.

Yanez found that people are not only supportive, but curious. Some stop her on the street, donate, and some even offer to help her collect trash.

“I think humans are simply good,” she said. “But we live in a society that pushes us to chase material things, instead of community. I believe people want to be involved — they just need a way in.”

When her 50-day fundraising effort wraps up, Yanez plans to hand over the total amount raised to the Montreal SPCA. However, she points out that this doesn’t mean her cleanup mission will end there.

“At the end of the day, I want to know that I’m making a little bit of a difference in the world and maybe that’s just knowing the park is a little cleaner,” she said. “That, and having my cats by my side.”