Cure for Litter
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.
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.
Tips to reduce litter all year round:
- Prevent! Do not overfill your blue box and use windy day set out tips.
- 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.
For more litter information, email us.
Events and litter cleanup contacts |
There are four different ways you can get involved in litter events: 1. Events organized by local municipalities. Use the contact information below to check with your local municipality.
2. Region of Waterloo's Adopt-a-Road program: Adopt-a-Road is a program for volunteers to clean up Regional roads. For more information, go to our Roads and Traffic page. 3. Ontario's Day of Action on Litter is scheduled for May 9, 2023. 4. Your own litter cleanup: Please check with your local municipality first (see contacts above). If a cleanup is possible, discuss and confirm:
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Litter promotional material |
Logo: You can use the litter logo but you cannot add your name or any identifier to it. The only cure for litter logo - stacked The only cure for litter logo - horizontal Posters: Download anti-litter posters. Keep the litter message fresh by changing up the posters you use. |
Litter facts |
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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