Iqaluit (Jun 26/06) - It was going to take an army to tackle the litter problem in Iqaluit.

Fortunately a legion of people showed up determined to sanitize the city's image on June 16.

Jerry Ulayuruluk, left, and Archie Aipellee load garbage into the box of a pick-up truck. There was plenty of wood, plastic, cellophane, metal and tires collected during a community clean-up in Iqaluit on June 16. - Derek Neary/NNSL photo

Federal, territorial and municipal employees held a community clean-up, with 3,600 garbage bags ready for all comers to fill.

Volunteer Thomas Panipak rounded up three bags of refuse from around Joamie school. "I like it better when there's less debris out there," he said. "A clean environment makes us more happy, more positive."

Lena Decoute collected five bags worth of garbage to be trucked to the landfill.

"It's a beautiful city, but there's all kinds of garbage. It's embarrassing," she said.

Worst of all was having to pick up dirty diapers.

"Ewww, Pampers," Decoute said with a loathsome grin.

For Pitsuilaq Boaz, finding rotten meat in the 300-block area was most vile.

Bernice Kootoo-Reist was revolted to retrieve a, ahem, feminine hygiene product wrapper. "It was empty, but it was still disgusting to find it," she said.

Fortunately, rubber gloves had been issued at the central meeting point when the event got under way.

In addition to the gratification, there was another pay-off for at least one volunteer. While raking countless cigarette butts from the dirt, Annie Aningmiuq found some money.

The denizens finished their work and headed off to an appreciatory barbecue at noon.

Just at that time, some youth from Nakasuk school rushed out onto the playground and overturned a garbage can, spilling its contents onto the asphalt of the basketball court.

Iqaluit's winds quickly dispersed pieces of the garbage.

And so the process begins again....