Steve Hatch
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, September 26, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Eight garbage bags were filled with litter from the Frame Lake trail as volunteers with the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup mobilized on Sept. 15.

George Cornelissen, Lisa Do, and Ashley Martel collect grabage on the Frame Lake trail during the two hour cleanup as part of a national campaign to raise awareness of protecing our environment. - Photo courstey of Sue McQuade

There were the expected fast-food litter and polystyrene drinks containers, and also some oddities such as a pair of training shoes, an unopened bottle of wine, a bicycle wheel and a Winnie the Pooh doll.

There were also many hair spray bottles and similar products, which originally contained alcohol.

Event co-ordinators Sue McQuade and Mike Adamchick were surprised at how much litter was collected by close to 20 volunteers in such a short amount of time. The location was chosen due to its popularity and usage, and its location near the centre of the city.

The cleanup is part of a national initiative to raise awareness of water pollution and how to treat the environment safely.

In its fourth year in Yellowknife, the event started 12 years ago as a local beach cleanup in Vancouver and has grown into a country-wide conservation initiative sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund and the TD Bank. It encourages people to become more aware of the local environment and how litter affects wildlife and the ecosystem.