SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Public awareness of litter has increased thanks to the higher profile the issue has gotten in Yellowknife, according to Adopt a Street participant Austin Marshall.

"Getting public attention, encouraging people to think about it and then do something about it - it gets an awareness going," said Marshall.

Marshall's law firm, Marshall and Company, has been clearing litter from 48 Street since 2000 as part of the City of Yellowknife's Adopt a Street program.

"We thought that we're right at the end of this street, and we're the entrance to the downtown area, so why don't we volunteer to look after this street," he said.

The firm does two major cleanups in the spring and the fall to get the worst of the litter out of the way.

"We really scour the place to get everything, so the street looks pristine," he said.

However, Marshall said that because he walks down the street every day, he picks up litter as he goes.

He said over the years trash levels have noticeably dropped.

"The first couple of years there was a lot of trash. I remember filling up two or three garbage bags with litter. As time went on, that got better," he said.

"You'll always find little pieces of paper, but you won't see big accumulated piles."

Marshall said as the streets become cleaner, people tend to live up to the precedent.

"As people see that others do it and continue to do it, they will see they can do it without too much of a time commitment on their part," he said.

Trash is not solely the responsibility of the city, he said, because everyone contributes to the problem.

"Litter is everybody's responsibility. We all have a hand in it getting there, and so we can all take a hand in getting rid of it."

He praised the city for the litter initiatives already adopted.

"I like what I'm seeing. There are more bins around, both for the litter and the recycling. That's an excellent idea because people are going to be more inclined to pick something up if they can see at the end of the block there's a place to put it," he said.

His wife Margaret Marshall suggests it is the repetition of anti-litter campaigns that is getting through to the public.

"It's publicized more. You have the flashing signs beside the Multiplex and the swimming pool with messages about litter. It's getting through to people," she said.