‘Beautifying where they play’: Georgina Girl Guides pitch in to rid community of ‘unsightly’ litter

Litter is everyone's responsibility. Local Georgina groups Pitch-In with pandemic-friendly cleanup days

Yorkregion.com
April 20, 2021

One person’s trash in the park is another person’s learning opportunity.

For many children and youth organizations such as Scouts and Girl Guides, part of the order includes learning to care for the environment.

“It’s a community service,” said Shannon Callaghan, a Pefferlaw resident, leader of the First Keswick Brownie/Guide unit.

“It’s part of our mantra: leave the space better than you found it.”

Even the younger groups are charged with the same lesson.

“We teach community responsibility,” said Keswick Sparks leader Nelly Seidel. “The young ones understand we have to take care of the world.”

In the pre-pandemic days, both Girl Guide leaders and their guide group participated in Pitch-In week -- a national pickup litter campaign to mark Earth Day.

For years, the groups would clean up around Whipper Watson Park in Keswick.

“We use this park,” Callaghan said. “These young girls are active members of the community, beautifying where they play.”

Prior to York Region moving into the grey-lockdown zone under the province’s COVID-19 recovery framework, the small group -- armed with gloves, masks and garbage bags -- collected more than six bags of trash in the fall.

The group was instructed not to touch cigarette butts, needles or masks.

“Interesting, we didn’t have an issue with masks everywhere,” Callaghan added.

As the pandemic continues, guides groups are to meet virtually, meaning they’re not pitching in in the community, she added.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the town is not hosting community cleanup events and is asking residents not to host local cleanups.

Instead, residents are encouraged to pick up litter around their own property.

Town staff continue to clean up litter on town-owned property and throughout parks.

While the town waived the requirement for bag tags at the start of the year as municipal buildings remain closed to the public during the pandemic, the five-bag limit still applies.

To help reduce the potential spread of COVID-19 within the community, the town cancelled the e-waste collection events in 2020 and cancelled upcoming May event as well.

The town will consider hosting the e-waste event in again in September, depending on COVID-19 case numbers and the situation with the York Region Public Health COVID-19 vaccine clinic held at the Georgina Ice Palace as recreation staff were deployed in March to operate the clinic. 

The town also cancelled the annual Giant Swap and Sell garage sale but is continuing with Give-Away Days. Residents can put free unwanted household items curbside 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 24, May 29, June 26, July 31, Aug. 28, Sept. 25 and Oct. 30.

There is an increase in litter across the region and works crews are currently focusing on spring cleanup effort along regional roads, said Laura McDowell, environmental promotion and protection for environmental services director with York Region.

Litter found in parks and along roadways is an issue for a number of reasons: plastic does not break down; litter can blow into storm drains, creeks, streams and rivers contaminating the water; and it can be ingested by aquatic animals, pets and local wildlife.

Not to mention, “it’s unsightly,” McDowell added.

The region, together with all nine municipalities, is moving to a full producer responsibility model for recyclable materials in the coming years, making producers responsible to ensure packaging can be completely recycled.

“To protect our environment for future generations, it’s important for everyone to do their part to keep their community, streets, parks and waterways clean and litter free,” McDowell said.

May 11 is the second annual provincewide Day of Action on Litter.

Residents wanting to organize a community clean are encouraged to do so while adhering to current COVID-19 safety protocols -- wearing gloves and a mask, limiting the number of people gathering; maintain physical distancing; clean up with members of your household; and use a litter picker-upper.