Saint John cleanup hopes to garner mass community support Saturday
With Earth Day on Monday, you might be inspired to think more deeply about the world around you — including in your own backyard.
Dan Scott, a resident of the east side of Saint John and one of the organizers of a grassroots initiative called Taking Out the Trash, hopes to get people to not just think, but act, when it comes to taking care of the community.
He wants to get 1,000 volunteers signed up for a community cleanup in Saint John on Saturday.
The idea started when one of his friends, William Dorey, said he noticed trash blowing all over the street and wanted to see something done about it.
"I was like, 'I know, man, it's getting out of hand,'" said Scott. "And he's like, 'Well, let's do something about it.'"
One of the Taking Out the Trash organizers, Dan Scott, said he’d like to see 1,000 to 2,000 bags collected during the Saturday cleanup. (Dan Scott/Facebook)
They got another friend involved, Derrick May, and since then, the cleanup has garnered the attention of hundreds who want to help out.
"I just wanted to bring the community together and to do something," he said. "It just seemed like a great idea. I feel like the garbage is getting worse and worse every year, whereas when I was younger, it was never this bad."
Trail cleanup needed in Fredericton
In Fredericton, Mike Walker, the manager of parks and trees and assistant director of engineering and operations for the city, said anyone who wants to organize a community cleanup is welcome, and the city will help by providing garbage bags and latex gloves, and it will arrange to do a pickup after the event.
Walker said that community help is definitely needed when it comes to litter on trails. He said if 10 to 15 volunteers were to tackle a stretch of trail, it would take them significantly less time than two available city staff.
He said the city is hoping to start advertising more to bring in community volunteers.
Walker said the city prioritizes most-used areas when it comes to where to clean first, but he also encourages residents to tell the city if there are places where garbage needs to be picked up.
"We don't have people that can see every single park every single day, and it does honestly change every day," he said.
Scott said several local businesses donated supplies, including these sharps containers, which can be used to safely dispose needles or other sharps. (Submitted by Dan Scott)
For Scott's Saint John cleanup, he said some local businesses donated the garbage bags and supplies and garbage bins were donated by JTR Dumpster Services.
He said there will be bins at multiple locations around the city for the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. cleanup Saturday, including in Waterloo Village, at the Carleton Community Centre, Lansdowne Plaza and GoodLife Fitness on the east side.
Team leaders will be located in each place and volunteers will be dispersed to cover as much ground as possible.
Scott said he'd like to see 1,000 to 2,000 bags collected, but "even if we take 500 bags of garbage off the streets, that's 500 bags less."
Cleanups have been happening and are continuing on the weekend across New Brunswick for Earth Day. Some of these include:
A town cleanup in Salisbury on Monday.
A multi-day cleanup in Moncton all weekend.
A full-day cleanup in Tantramar on Monday.
A garden cleanup at the L'Arche Saint John community garden on Monday.
A cleanup on Sunday put on by ACAP Saint John at the Market Place Volleyball Court parking lot.
A district cleanup in from Arthurette to Nictau in the village of Plaster Rock on Monday.
A week-long cleanup in Fundy Albert.
A cleanup in St. George hosted by the community garden and trail committee on Sunday.
