Iqaluit (July 28/03) - Tommy Nuvaqiq, 19, goes to work bathed in mosquito repellent, wearing thick rubber gloves and sturdy shoes.

This teen could be doing a lot of things on a sunny, warm day in Iqaluit, like tossing a frisbee or playing basketball with his friends.

But instead he stoops to pick up other people's garbage.

At least here, across the street from the basketball court at Nakushuk school, the flies are not as bad as they are at the dump, he says, always trying to look on the bright side.

With some of his friends, also hired by the City of Iqlauit to tackle the garbage problem, Nuvaqiq attempted to clean up around the dump recently.

"The flies were really bad there," he says, working with pal Robert Peter, 17.

This isn't Nuvaqiq's first time doing this type of work.

He did this last year and will continue for another month or so.

He does this smelly, sweaty job because the money is not bad, he says.

And when it's a beautiful day he gets to spend most of the day outside.

The grossest thing Nuvaqiq has ever had to pick up so far?

"A dead bird, a raven," he said. "It was all full of maggots."

"It was hard as a rock, too," Peter added.

The hardest spot to pick up trash by far is at the dump, Nuvaqiq said.

"All the flies. Lots of different kinds, too," he said.

Nuvaqiq thinks everyone should volunteer some of their time to pick up around them.

The litter situation is out of control in Iqaluit, and being on the front lines of the clean up has taught Nuvaqiq one thing he now wants to share with anyone who will listen to him: "Stop littering!"