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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The streets and sidewalks of Yellowknife are looking a little cleaner thanks to Yellowknife's annual spring cleanup week.

While picking up garbage and cleaning the streets is an ongoing process, the city designated May 7 to 13 as the official annual Spring Cleanup Week for making the city sparkle.

Groups from all walks of Yellowknife life are participating, branching out over all areas of the city.

Two dozen volunteers took over the downtown core Wednesday, walking down Franklin Avenue in a parade of fluorescent vests and billowing trash bags.

The city once again has the $30,000 grant money to allow youth groups that meet the eligibility requirements to participate. This year, the grant will be split between 29 groups.

The volunteer group, Trash Pick Up Artists, met at Javaroma on Wednesday, where hand sanitizer, heavy duty garbage and recycling bags, brooms and extra safety vests took over a corner.

Volunteers were briefed on safety before heading out to do their part: watch for traffic, don't pick up sharp objects with your hands, always practise safe lifting techniques even for small items and don't touch anything with your bare hands.

Denise, who preferred that her last name not be used, was walking with her daughter and stopped to congratulate the volunteers.

"I think it's wonderful that people do this," she said. "The sad thing is there's so much garbage after the snow melts, I do my own cleanup near Wal-Mart and that area."

Living on Borden Drive, Denise said she often picks up stray pieces of garbage.

"I hate garbage," she said. "I wish more people cared about picking it up. But I truly believe if there's no garbage on the ground, people are a lot more hesitant to throw that first piece."

Paul Falvo, Yellowknife city councillor, brought his daughter Juniper along to help with the cleanup.

'The city has a lot of different efforts to clean up," said Falvo. "This is just one of the independent ventures that helps out."

Falvo pointed to the Adopt a Street program run through the city as another alternative for interested residents and groups.

Through the program, residents can take responsibility for a street, block, park, trail, subdivision or neighbourhood providing they are able to commit for at least a year.

"They get their name on a sign and the city provides bags, gloves and they'll pick up the full bags," said Falvo.

Denise prefers to just take care of her area on her own.

"I wish more people helped, but I don't need my name on a sign or the recognition," she said.

The volunteers downtown ran into a variety of items as they combed the streets. From cigarette butts and empty mickeys to broken glass pipes and discarded clothing left just beside a dumpster.

"One year I picked up what I thought was an old balloon. It was actually a condom. I felt like chopping my arm off," Falvo said.

Al Cunningham was volunteering for the first time Wednesday.

"This city needs it," he said. "After the snow melts, there's garbage everywhere, any little bit helps."

The bright green and orange fluorescent safety vests caught the attention of one visitor, Pat Millar.

"I had no idea what was happening at first," he said.

Millar is in town on business and said he was struck by the turnout and how many volunteers he saw.

"You would never see this in Toronto," he said. "People just don't care as much as they do here."

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