The City of Hamilton is encouraging residents to participate in litter cleanup efforts.

Ontario has declared May 9th as Day of Action on Litter, which is aimed at raising awareness about the impact of waste on the environment.

The initiative seeks to engage Ontarians in working together to keep their communities clean and healthy, while promoting a culture of sustainability and waste reduction.

A recent report presented to the City’s Public Works Committee in Hamilton on April 17 has revealed that litter collection can be costly.

Staff were directed by council to “report back to the Public Works Committee with the annual amount expended on litter collection across the city, outside of regularly scheduled efforts by Waste Management.”

The estimated costs were $2,191,811 in 2020, $2,665,812 in 2021 and $2,350,779 in 2022.

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There are several volunteer initiatives, which include litter remediation programs, such as Team Up to Clean Up and Adopt-a-Park, as well as other community led litter pick-up activities.

Hamilton says litter remediation program supplies are funded by the Keep Hamilton Clean and Green Committee.

The Team Up to Clean Up Program in 2022 had 4,041 volunteers collecting 8,760 bags of garbage and recycling, contributing 12,017 volunteer hours, a value of nearly $316,000.

Here are some actions residents can take:

• Wind-blown waste and recycling: try not to overfill the blue box or garbage container as loose items above the brim can blow away and become litter;
• Preventing waste and litter: stop waste before it is created, and before it has the chance to become litter;
• Properly disposing waste in public spaces: ensure that trash is securely placed in garbage bins in public spaces.

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