Community Clean-up

Every year, people who are passionate about Owen Sound get together for some spring cleaning. Pitchin’ Day was held recently with an army of around 50 volunteers braving a not-so-pleasant rainy weekend with the common goal of putting the ‘scenic’ back in Scenic City. At least 5 members of the Owen Sound Fire Department dive team showed up for the occasion with masks and flippers to comb the harbour shoreline for litter build-up.

The spring clean effort has been spearheaded by the Sydenham Sportsmen’s Association for the past 35 – 40 years. Originally, it was a smaller scale riverbank clean-up. However, things changed a decade or so ago when the S.S.A. joined forces with Communities In Bloom to make it a full community initiative for all of Owen Sound.

Old shopping carts, weather beaten signage, an abandoned patio chair, garbage bags jam-packed with litter… The mound of trash outside the Visitor Information Centre was enough to make Miller Waste staff blush.

We live along busy 3rd Avenue East and have had our share of old Tim’s coffee cups, plastic pop bottles and cigarette butts tossed on our lawn. By what must be sheer coincidence, things have been a bit tidier this spring. Even our family walks up and down 3rd and 4th have been litterless compared to previous years. Is the message of the S.S.A. and recent warning of finings finally getting through? One can only hope.

Let’s give kudos to our tireless community clean freaks for all their hard work and wish one and all a clean and uncluttered property this summer.