Litter is never good but is being cleaned up for a good cause in Antigonish. The Eastern Region Solid Waste Management Committee has a litter clean-up incentive funding program that is put to good use by the Antigonish Emergency Fuel Fund volunteers. The volunteers from the Fuel Fund, Town Council and others from the community join together to clean the street of the Town of Antigonish three times per year. All volunteers are welcome from the Town and surrounding communities.

The first event, this fiscal, will take place on Saturday, April 28 starting at 8AM. Volunteers are asked to meet in front of Town Hall, 274 Main Street for 8AM. The more volunteers the better, as more streets can be covered in a reasonable amount of time. No more than a couple of hours! Volunteers are teamed up and directed to specific streets and public spaces to search for and bag litter. Bags, gloves and water are provided to the volunteers by the Town of Antigonish. The Town truck will be cruising around to gather up the bags.

This first Spring event is important, following the snow, that unsightly litter that has been around for the Winter, shows it’s ugly face. The volunteers do an amazing job beatifying the community, it looks good and feels good to have helped out. In total, for the three events, $1,200 has been provided past years which is used to help those in need of heat through the winter months. It really is a win-win for the environment and the people of Antigonish.

This is a family friendly event. The organizers love to see the families with kids, and the so many others that come out to help. Like most volunteer events, more help is always welcome. Councillor Jack MacPherson is the Chair of the Town of Antigonish Waste Management Committee and has actively supported this initiative with Town Council since it’s beginning. Mike MacDonald, President of the Fuel Fund reported last year, “…we had a steady group of reliable volunteers. What is new this [past] year is that whole families showed up ...Moms and Dads and kids too.” It is a social event, often with interesting conversation.

The Eastern Region Solid Waste Management Committee would prefer if there was no need to clean-up litter. Funds could be spent to support non-profits in others ways. However, since litter is still an issue, and events such as this draw attention to the issue, and provide social and environmental benefits, we will continue to provide some funds to support the clean-up. We also thank groups such as the Antigonish Community Fuel Fund for their interest and assistance in gathering volunteers to beautify our communities.