Groups work to remove cigarette butts, litter from Sudbury's Junction Creek
Now that spring is here, there’s a whole lot of litter and garbage visible, which had been partially buried under the snow during the winter.
In Sudbury, a weekend cleanup blitz is happening along Sudbury’s Junction Creek -- and there’s one particular piece of litter that has volunteers lit up to pick up.
According to environmentalist Emma Meadows, cigarette butts are particularly harmful.
“They’re all over the place,” Meadows said.
“There’s about 4.5 trillion that are littering the environment globally.”
Meadows is with the cigarette butts reduction program, Small Butts, Big Problem, which is supported by the global conservation organization Ocean Wise.
“(Cigarette butts) are actually made of plastics,” she said.
In Sudbury, a weekend cleanup blitz is happening along Sudbury’s Junction Creek -- and there’s one particular piece of litter that has volunteers lit up to pick up: cigarette butts. (Photo from video)
“They’re a form of plastics pollution and when people just litter them on the ground, they release chemicals and toxins and micro-plastics that end up in our waterways. They get eaten by wildlife and then eventually they make their way into humans.”
Meadows is working alongside the Junction Creek stewardship committee to reduce the plastic harming local waterways.
The committee conducted a storm-water initiative during the past two years where filters were installed on 34 catch basins in six Sudbury neighbourhoods.
The group said the project prevented almost 5,000 pieces of litter from entering the storm system -- and cigarette butts made up 40 per cent of that.
“The Earth is not our personal garbage can,” Meadows said.
“If we take care of the earth it will take care of us. So let’s put waste in its place and definitely not in the environment.”
The cleanup starts on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the parking lot behind the Flour Mill silos.
Small Butts, Big Problems will be handing out free small reusable pocket ashtrays for all volunteers helping at Saturday’s cleanup.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors concerned about potential spread of bird flu in Canada
H5N1 or avian flu has been detected at dozens of US dairy farms and Canadian experts are urging surveillance on our side of the border too.
There's a limit to how much interest rates in Canada and U.S. can diverge: Macklem
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canadian interest rates don't have to match U.S. or global rates, but there is a limit to how much they can diverge.
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
Concerns about Plexiglas prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglas barriers.
Should I invest with a human or a robot? Traditional firms vs. robo-advisors
Investors considering where to park their money have a choice: go with a traditional financial adviser or trust in an algorithm. Here are the pros and cons of both.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Imagine living in a 4-foot body that doesn't develop chronic diseases
Nathaly Paola Castro Torres has a rare disorder called Laron syndrome that is caused by a genetic mutation. It stunts her growth but also provides a hidden silver lining: Her body is protected from chronic diseases such as cancer that often take life away long before old age.
'Oh, there you go': Tyler Black, son of veteran broadcaster Rod Black, has memorable Major League Baseball debut
Canadian baseball player Tyler Black made a major splash in his first-ever big league game for the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.