SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - According to "Adopt a Street" participant Lenore de Jong, "dirty breeds dirty" and that's why it's up to individuals to do their bit to keep the city clean.

Lenore de Jong says litter builds up quickly beside the mailboxes on Finlayson Drive because people are more likely to leave litter there rather than outside private homes. - Charlotte Hilling/NNSL photo

"If something gets dirty, people tend to add more garbage to it," she said. "If the city is kept clean, there will be an expectation to pick up litter."

De Jong signed up to the city's Adopt a Street program last year after hiking the Frame Lake Trail with some friends from out of town.

"It was a beautiful day. But more than noticing the views they noticed the litter that was around. I began to see how much the litter really detracted from the beauty of the city," she said.

Not long after this she phoned city hall to see what she could do. It was then she found out about the initiative and adopted Finlayson Crescent and the walkway beside the mailboxes.

"It's a simple thing to do and it takes no time at all. It's one thing that anybody in Yellowknife can do to show their civic pride," she said.

De Jong, a Math teacher at Sir John Franklin High School, said the time she commits to picking up trash is minor, but the results are impressive.

"Whenever I go to get the mail, if there's any litter I pick some up. Other than that, once every two weeks I take a bag with me down to the mailboxes and do a thorough clean that takes about 10 minutes," she said.

Part of the litter problem is simply changing people's habits, de Jong said.

"If I could ask one thing of people and their mailboxes, please don't leave the fliers that you don't want down the side or on top of the them. It just becomes litter. Take them home and throw them in the garbage."

She also encourages people to contact city hall if there is a mess that needs to be cleaned up.

"If no one says anything, a lot of the time they don't know the areas that need to be cleaned, and then it accumulates," she said.

She said businesses along Old Airport Road need to do more to clean up the litter that remains in the roadside gutters and parking lots.

However, she is upbeat about the litter situation and said there has been an upward trend in participation and a downward trend in trash levels.

"This year more than anything I'm optimistic, because I've seen a definite improvement."

She said litter is everyone's problem, and encourages individuals to take responsibility of the issue.

"If you see a bit of litter, don't be afraid to pick it up and throw it in the nearest garbage can."