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City puts its foot down on litterbugs

Cara Loverock
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, May 06, 2009

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Litterbugs beware, the city is cracking down on garbage, declaring May "Litter Awareness Month."

The city issued a press release Friday saying bylaw officers will be on the hunt for litterers and people who fail to pick up after their dogs.

NNSL Photo/Graphic

Javaroma owner Adrian Bell shows off some of the garbage he found in trash-strewn parking lots last May. Bell helped to start a litter collection group The Pick-up Trash Artists - NNSL file photo

Even smokers tossing cigarette butts out their car windows have been put on notice.

"They think that they're not really littering," said Doug Gillard, manager of the municipal enforcement. "It all adds up."

People caught littering will be ticketed, starting at $200 for a first offence, $300 for the second and $500 for a third.

"The maximum fine for an individual is $2,000 and for a company is $10,000," said Gillard.

Municipal Enforcement will also be conducting check stops to ensure loads on the back of their vehicles are properly covered and tarped.

"Just the potential for something to come out of the vehicle is enough to lay a charge," said Gillard, adding items falling out or thrown from vehicles is "a big part of the litter that you see along the highway."

Officers will be on patrol on trails around the city watching for pet owners to scoop poop and to ensure garbage is put inside cans.

It's not only the city that's putting its foot down over trash-strewn streets. Keeping Yellowknife clean is also serious business for Javaroma owner Adrian Bell. This is the second year he and city councillor Paul Falvo are leading a litter clean-up group - picking up trash around town.

"There is a lot of garbage to be picked-up but, all in all, it looks a lot better than last year," said Bell.

He said around a dozen volunteers came out to the first clean-up of the season held last Wednesday. Anyone can take part and they are equipped with gloves, vests and garbage bags. The "Pick-up Trash Artists" meet again today at 5 p.m. at Javaroma.

As a member of the litter-free Yellowknife sub-committee, Bell said the group will take on an anti-litter strategy, including public awareness, education and infrastructure.

The sub-committee is taking over where the now defunct Polishing the Gem litter committee - a group of business people, property managers and city officials - left off last year.

"People wait until all the snow is gone to start picking up garbage," said Bell, adding that allows for garbage to blow around before people even begin to tackle the litter problem. We can't just wait ... we need to change the way we think about spring clean-up."

The city is also declaring May 11 to 17 as "Spring Clean-up Week." During this week, there will be 30 youth groups taking to the streets to tackle the trash and garbage tarnishing the city's streets and sidewalks.