Community group needs help clearing Winnipeg streets of litter
With the spring weather thawing out the city, Winnipeggers are noticing something being left behind by the disappearing snow.
"I am noticing especially cigarette butts, lots of coffee cups and beer cans in the ditch," said one person walking downtown.
"A lot of plastic bags, coffee cups, mostly," said another person.
While the litter-lined lanes might look unpleasant right now, it will only get worse.
Tom Ethans, the executive director of Take Pride Winnipeg, said there's still several times more garbage than you can see right now trapped in the snow.
He said the pandemic changed what kind of trash is being dumped, with PPE like masks becoming a common item, as well as where it's piling up.
"Because they are going to the parks and having picnics, because again, COVID, we found all the littering and recycling containers were overflowing, and the recycling containers were overflowing with non-recyclables," said Ethans.
Take Pride Winnipeg said it's already receiving lots of requests from schools and community groups wanting to help with the organization's yearly clean-up effort, but it needs more adult volunteers to help with a new program taking aim at the most common pieces of trash -- cigarettes.
"We are also looking for community groups that want to go out and pick up and collect cigarette butts, and then we are going to recycle them through a company called TerraCycle," explained Ethans. "So it's going to be a great project we are going to do."
Ethans expects Take Pride Winnipeg volunteers can collect more than a million butts.
"If every Manitoban went outside and picked up one piece of litter, that's over a million pieces of litter off the ground. So what's out there, let's get rid of it," added Ethans.
A message that resonates with people CTV News talked to.
"It's got to start somewhere, and it all starts with you," said another Winnipegger walking downtown. "You got to make the change. Stop throwing garbage out; stop putting it on the streets. There's always a garbage can that's not too far away."
Take Pride Winnipeg said there's still too much snow to conduct its yearly litter index, but it will be released in the coming months.
Anyone interested in volunteering with the organization can check out its website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre will do 'anything to win,' must condemn Alex Jones endorsement: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ramping up his attacks on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as he promotes his government's federal budget.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
New evidence challenges the Pentagon's account of a horrific attack as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan: CNN exclusive
New video evidence uncovered by CNN significantly undermines two Pentagon investigations into an ISIS-K suicide attack outside Kabul airport, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
Video shows suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Pilot proposes to flight attendant girlfriend in front of passengers
A Polish pilot proposed to his flight attendant girlfriend during a flight from Warsaw to Krakow, and she said yes.
Ottawa injects another $36M into fund for those seriously injured or killed by vaccines
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Ex-SNC executive sentenced to prison term in bridge bribery case
The RCMP says a former SNC-Lavalin executive has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in connection with a bribery scheme for a bridge repair contract in Montreal.