The tenth anniversary of the mayor’s Keep the County Clean Challenge is at the end of this month and several staff members were out collecting empty pop cans, soup tins and other litter in preparation for the event.
County Director Mobushar Pannus says since 2009, more than 30,000 bags of garbage have been collected from parks and roadsides in the county.
Volunteers will be out to beautify Northumberland from April 22 to 28 as part of this year’s challenge.
Local municipalities—vying for bragging rights by winning at least one of the two possible awards in this friendly county-wide competition—are encouraging all residents to join in this week of activities.
The Township of Alnwick/Haldimand will be looking to retain the title of Highest Volunteer Participation while the Municipality of Port Hope hopes to keep the trophy for Hardest Working Volunteers per capita.
For the Challenge, which coincides with this year’s ‘Pitch In, Canada’, individuals and groups are invited to demonstrate community spirit by registering with their municipality to clean up a public area (park, nature trail, roadside, etc). Those interested are encouraged to visit the County website for details specific to each municipality.
To close out this week of collaboration and community pride, the County will be hosting its annual community-wide appreciation Barbecue and Open House at the Material Recovery Facility in Grafton on Saturday, April 28, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. This event will include guided tours of the facility, large vehicles for children to explore, door prizes and other activities. Registration for this event is not required.
For more information about the mayor’s Keep the County Clean Challenge, including registration information and details about the Barbecue and Open House, visit the County website at www.NorthumberlandCounty.ca/littercleanup.