Cure for Litter
The only Cure for Litter is you. Litter is an community challenge and it takes a community to overcome it. The Region of Waterloo proudly partners with local municipalities, Adopt-A-Road program, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), and others to promote waste reduction and litter prevention across the region.
COVID-19 update:
- Large community litter cleanups are not encouraged during the COVID-19 pandemic, in keeping with the Region of Waterloo Public Health measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- At this time, consider ways to reduce the harmful impacts of waste in the environment:
- Prevent! Do not overfill your blue box and use these easy tips if you are setting out waste on windy days.
- Reduce! Think of ways to reduce waste, such as refusing straws, and reusing jars for storage.
- Recycle more! Out and about and can't find recycling bins? Bring your waste home to put in your green bin and blue box.
To report litter issues:
- For general concerns, please call the Region of Waterloo's 24-hour customer service call centre at 519-575-4400.
- For garbage and litter issues at bus stops and ION station stops, use the Grand River Transit feedback form.
For more litter information, email us.
Get involved: Find litter events and contacts for litter cleanups |
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This year, some local municipalities are organizing events, others are not. Please see the information below. If you are interested in having your own litter cleanup, please check with your local municipality. If a cleanup is possible, discuss and confirm:
Local municipal contacts
Region of Waterloo's Adopt-a-Road program: Cleanup along roads are cancelled due to the pandemic. For more information, go to our Roads and Traffic page. Ontario's Day of Action on Litter The Province of Ontario's Day of Action on Litter is scheduled for May 10, 2022. Please see Act on Litter for details. |
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Litter promotional material for your use |
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Logo: Feel free to use our litter logo but you must use just the litter message, you cannot add your name or any identifier to it. Download the logos:
Sign Requirements: It is your responsibility to install and maintain the signs. Sign locations have to be in an area you have authority over; not block the vision triangle; and, follow local signage By-laws. Flyer: Tips to prevent litter if you are setting out your blue box on a windy day. |
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Litter facts |
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The average distance someone will carry garbage before littering is 12 paces. Most litter occurs within five meters of a garbage receptacle. The most common items found in cleanups across Canada: Cigarette butts, food wrappers, paper material, plastic bags, plastic drink bottles, pop cans, straws, Styrofoam, miscellaneous packaging, microplastics. Source: Shoreline Cleanup How long does litter take to breakdown?
Almost every plastic item we have made since the 1950s is still in our environment.[1] Does litter travel? About 10,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste enters our lakes and rivers each year from Canada and the United States. [2] The sources of this plastic waste include: windblown litter left on the ground, litter carried down rivers into the lakes, stormwater pipes carrying litter from streets, and litter washing into lakes from beaches. Litter can be harmful to marine wildlife. Plastic items such as pop bottles and chunks of Styrofoam break apart into tiny pieces called "microplastics" which are five millimetres or less in size. These small pieces of plastics float in the water and are often mistaken as food by wildlife. Water bottles: You are the cure for litter! Be sure to carry a refillable water bottle. Find free locations to refill your bottle at Bluew. Did you know:
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