As Earth Day approaches on Tuesday, April 22, Northumberland County is inviting community members to pitch in and put trash in its place by taking part in activities planned throughout April — including the popular “Mayors’ Keep the County Clean Challenge” that runs from Monday, April 21 to Saturday, April 26.
“Earth Day is an opportunity to reflect on our shared responsibility to respect our natural environment and protect invaluable natural resources for future generations,” said Northumberland County Warden Brian Ostrander in a media release.
“Each year, I look forward to joining Northumberland residents in our collective efforts to make a positive difference during the Mayors’ Keep the County Clean Challenge.”
Back for its 15th year, the challenge encourages Northumberland municipalities and townships to engage in friendly competition through community clean-up efforts.
Community members can register with their municipality to help clean up litter in their neighbourhood, including roadsides, parks, and trails. Municipalities with the highest proportional representation of volunteers and most litter collected per volunteer will receive trophies at a meeting of county council.
More than 3,000 community members collected 11,427 kilograms of litter during last year’s county-wide competition, marking the highest turnout in the history of the event.
The Township of Alnwick-Haldimand came out on top for the highest proportional representation of volunteers, with 6.2 per cent of its population participating in the challenge. Alnwick-Haldimand was followed closely by the Town of Cobourg as the first runner-up in this category.
Meanwhile, the Municipality of Port Hope earned the title of hardest-working volunteers by collecting an average of 9.4 kilograms of waste per volunteer. The Township of Cramahe was the first runner-up in this category.
“This friendly competition between our fellow Northumberland communities has the net benefit of working together to beautify Northumberland,” Ostrander previously told kawarthaNOW.
The annual competition promotes both civic pride and making a positive difference for the environment, he noted.
“On behalf of county council, I encourage community members to register for the challenge to help tidy up their local neighbourhood, show their pride for their municipality, and contribute to a healthier Northumberland,” Ostrander said.
Community members can also participate in the “20-Minute Makeover” on Friday, April 25 by spending a short period of time tidying up a nearby park, school, or trail. No registration is required — just bring gloves and a bag.
For more information about other Earth Day-related activities in Northumberland County and to register for the Mayors’ Keep the County Clean Challenge, visit northumberland.ca/earthday.
