World Cleanup Day is Saturday, September 16, 2023, and you are invited to join the movement.
The City of Cornwall will be hosting its 3rd Annual Great Litter Cleanup from September 15 to September 17.
This community event kicked-off in 2021 when the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW), Cornwall & District reached out to City staff in hopes of involving residents in a city-wide cleanup.
Since then, locals have rallied together each year to collect as much debris as possible ensuring a cleaner and safer community. This year, the City is partnering with the Adopta-Street program, the Great River Network, and once again, CFUW.
“Illegal littering and dumping are scourges on our city and the environment,” said Cornwall Mayor Justin Towndale. “The Great Litter Cleanup is a fantastic grassroots initiative to help tackle this problem and keep our community clean and beautiful.”
“The initiative and involvement that our community continues to demonstrate during these wonderful events is incredible.” said Dave Kuhn, Waste Management Supervisor.
“Residents taking a moment out of their busy schedules to help make Cornwall the best it can be shows how much community pride we have in our City.”
On Friday, September 15, City staff will be voluntarily cleaning up during their lunch hour at the East entrance of Guindon Park between noon and 1 pm. Anyone is welcome to join them. This is the perfect opportunity for students to get volunteer hours.
Cannot join City staff on Friday? We encourage you to organize your own cleanup as a group or individually anytime on Friday, September 15, Saturday, September 16 or Sunday, September 17.
Participating is easy:
- Register online as a group – or go solo! Choose an area around town where you would like to collect litter. No idea where to start? No problem, the registration page has a list of areas that would benefit greatly from your help.
- Please ensure that each participant fills out the Waiver Form. Physical copies will also be available at the Guindon Park event.
- Pick up your supplies. The City will provide the following: gloves, garbage and recycling bags, and stickers for the garbage bags. These clean-up kits will be available at the Cornwall Public Library, City Hall, the Aquatic Centre, the River Institute, Municipal Works, and the Water Purification Plant (pick up at the WPP must be coordinated in advance).
- When your garbage bag is full, attach one of the supplied stickers to it and leave it at one of our drop-off zones before 8 pm on September 17 (recycling bags do not require stickers). Our drop off zones include the Cornwall Landfill, Municipal Works, the Cornwall Civic Complex, and the East end Police Station. Make sure to keep an eye out for the Great Litter Cleanup Drop-Off poster in these locations. City staff will collect the bags and share the community’s grand total!
- Send us some photos of your cleanup so we can share your amazing work with the community. One lucky litter-collector will win Tipping Point: The Climate Change Card Game. There will also be runner-up prizes. We will randomly choose participants from the photos we receive.
Please be mindful of any potential hazards you may encounter while out collecting litter. Besides the litter itself, potential hazards can include but are not limited to harmful plants, insects, or animals. Make sure to always wear your safety gloves and consider wearing closed-toe shoes and long pants.
If you are unable to drop it off at any of our drop-off locations, or if you have any questions or concerns, please email Gabrielle at gethier@cornwall.ca or call 613-930-2787, ext. 2379.
Come and have fun and help us keep Cornwall clean! Check out last year’s event and see everyone who participated, by visiting www.Cornwall.ca/greatlittercleanup.
