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
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
RateMDs violates privacy of health professionals, class-action lawsuit claims
A lawsuit against RateMDs has been given the go-ahead by a B.C. Supreme Court judge who found the claim that the website violates the privacy rights of medical professionals is not 'bound to fail.'
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.