Cobourg joins forces with environmental groups to make biggest cleanup event yet
Cobourg, ON (April 5, 2022) – Mayor Cleveland is encouraging the community to gather friends, family, and neighbours to come participate in what is hoped to be Cobourg’s most substantial ‘Keep the County Clean’ Challenge.
Each year, during Earth Month, the County of Northumberland invites residents to join in building awareness of the importance of protecting the environment and taking positive action to clean our communities during a week-long community cleanup challenge. Cobourg will be kicking off this year’s challenge on Sunday April 16th by inviting members of the community to join forces to clean up our parks, beaches, and other public spaces. To make this Cobourg’s most impactful year, the Town of Cobourg is partnering with two formidable organizations, dedicated to making positive impacts on our environment.
“The Town of Cobourg is fortunate to have many community organizations and dedicated volunteers who are invested in the betterment of our community,” says Mayor Lucas Cleveland. “If you want to show your commitment to our community health and environmental wellbeing, come and join us on April 16th for an amazing show of community strength and collaboration.”
Established in 2018, One World is a community of people dedicated to cleaning up litter and recycling from the streets, one city at a time. Motivated by their vision statement, “to create the world we want to live in”, One World is leading the way to a cleaner healthier planet by actively engaging individuals, organizations, and municipalities, in litter and recycling pick-up initiatives. One World will be working alongside Mayor Cleveland on Sunday April 16th and will be focusing their efforts on cleaning up litter Downtown Cobourg.
A Greener Future is committed to providing opportunities that bring together a community of volunteers and inspire action to create a clean, healthy environment that can be sustained for generations. Since 2014, this team has been implementing initiatives to help reduce the impact of litter on the environment, economy and people. Town of Cobourg Environmental Services and Waterfront Operations staff are partnering with A Greener Future to collect cigarette butts along the waterfront to prevent their dangerous chemical by-products from entering our water system. All materials collected will be recycled through TerraCycle UNSMOKE cigarette recycling program. The TerraCycle program recycles these otherwise unrecyclable products into usable items. Due to the nature of the material collected, this clean-up event is recommended for ages 19+.
Sustainable Cobourg’s (SC) goal is to educate and increase the public’s understanding of Climate Change, its impact and the importance of changing attitudes and practices that contribute to the emissions of Greenhouse Gases. By organizing and participating in local projects Sustainable Cobourg endeavours to put into practice the principles of sustainability. SC’s Youth Ambassador, Tovan Lew, will be leading a group of volunteers to clean up Peace Park and the surrounding area on April 16th and welcome any community volunteers to join them.
Cobourg will kick off the Mayors’ Keep the County Clean Challenge on Sunday, April 16th with a joint community cleanup day. Residents are invited to come and support Mayor Cleveland in his efforts to clean up our community by registering online for their preferred cleanup location. If you are unable to participate on April 16th, cleanup efforts will continue until April 22nd.
How to Participate:
Residents are asked to register online at Cobourg.ca/cleanup and select the location you would like to collect in. Once you are done, please report back, using this online form, to let staff know where you left your filled bags or notify the Town of sharp or bulky items.
Full bags of litter may be left along the roadside of your clean-up area for Town staff to collect. Please remember that large, hazardous, or dangerous items are not to be touched. If a dangerous item is found, please report back to the Town, and qualified staff will come to collect.
Note, for those collecting Cigarette Butts at the waterfront, when done collecting, participants should bring materials back to the Harbour Parking Lot at 103 Third Street where a waste bin will be located.
Supplies:
Those wishing to participate in the April 16th cleanup can pickup supplies, including gloves, pickers and garbage bags, out front of Victoria Hall between 11:30am – 1pm.
Those cleaning up from April 17th to the 22nd can pickup supplies at the Cobourg Community Centre (750 D'Arcy Street).
Join us for a Community Photo:
Participants are invited to join Mayor Cleveland out front of Victoria Hall at 11:45am on Sunday, April 16th prior to heading out to their selected sites. Help us mark this year’s community cleanup efforts by taking a community photo alongside Mayor Cleveland and fellow volunteers.
Road Closure Notice – April 16, 2023:
The following streets will be closed to ensure public safety for this event:
Thank you to our Partners:
The Town of Cobourg would like to recognize the hard work of organizations who are committed to protecting our natural environment from harmful contaminants.
One World
One World was established in 2018 by Stu Britton, Derek Reid and Brittany Latimer in Oshawa, Ontario. We are a community of people dedicated to cleaning up litter and recycling from the streets one city at a time. Since the creation of One World, we have expanded our operations to Cobourg, Ontario and Cochrane, Alberta.
We believe that a clean environment is the foundation of a happy and healthy life, and we're committed to helping create that world. We believe in making a difference through small actions, like picking up litter and recycling. We believe everyone deserves access to clean spaces and clean water — not just in theory, but in practice. And we are dedicated to helping build a world where those things are available for everyone.
We want to build a world where litter doesn't lurk in the corners of parks and on the edges of sidewalks. Where people don't just shrug their shoulders at a piece of trash and let it sit there, but instead take a moment to pick it up, because they know how important that action is. We want people to understand that they can make a difference by taking care of their community, and that they have a responsibility to do so.
To learn more about One World, follow them in Instagram @one_1_world
A Greener Future
A Greener Future is committed to providing opportunities that bring together a community of volunteers and inspire action to create a clean, healthy environment that can be sustained for generations. Since 2014, this team has been implementing initiatives to help reduce the impact of litter on the environment, economy and people.
If you’re interested to learn about A Greener Future, contact: Rochelle Byrne at https://www.agreenerfuture.ca/
About Cigarette Litter
Did you know that cigarette butts are the most-littered item in the world? About two-thirds of the six trillion cigarettes smoked each year end up in the environment.
Cigarette butts contain a plastic filter and the remnants of a smoked cigarette. The white filters that look like white cotton are cellulose acetate which breaks into microplastic fibres. Cellulose acetate is difficult to degrade in the environment. Depending on where the cigarette butt is discarded, they take around 18 months to 10 years to break down, but they will not decompose naturally.
When these butts end up in water, they release nicotine, arsenic, tar, and even heavy metals. One littered cigarette butt can contaminate 1,000 litres of water!
Unfortunately, due to their size, cigarette butts are often missed during public cleanup events and municipal staff efforts; many end up buried in sand, leaves, or wedged in cracks in the pavement.
Sustainable Cobourg
Sustainable Cobourg was formed in the summer of 2008 to educate and increase the public’s understanding of Climate Change, its impact and the importance of changing attitudes and practices that contribute to the emissions of Greenhouse Gases.
By organizing and participating in local projects such as urban planning, energy conservation and renewable energy, water quality and protection, waste reduction, climate change, farmland protection, transportation, personal health, developing a sustainable, local economy and enhancing the quality of life in Cobourg and it’s neighbours, Sustainable Cobourg endeavours to put into practice the principles of sustainability.
Sustainable Cobourg’s focus is primarily on the Town of Cobourg, but planning and growth issues in surrounding towns and rural areas (environs) that affect Cobourg are also within the scope of our vision.
To learn more about Sustainable Cobourg, visit https://sustainablecobourg.ca/
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Media Contacts
Kara Euale Jackie Chapman-Davis
Manager, Communications Manager of Culture
Town of Cobourg Town of Cobourg
p: 905-372-4301 x 4105 p: 905-372-9971 ext: 4363
e: keuale@cobourg.ca e: jchapmandavis@cobourg.ca
About The Town of Cobourg
The Town of Cobourg is a lakeside community (population 20,500) located on the north shore of Lake Ontario halfway between Toronto and Kingston and has been recognized multiple times by MoneySense Magazine as “One of Canada’s Best Places to Live” in populations under 25,000.
Founded in 1798, Cobourg is rich in heritage offering a vibrant downtown, sophisticated small town atmosphere and renowned waterfront that serves as a popular getaway destination. As the largest town in Northumberland County, Cobourg is personified by historic Victoria Hall, hosts a 27.4 million community centre, an educated and skilled labour force, flourishing commercial sector and supportive municipal government. Cobourg has received the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Sustainable Communities Award, accolades from the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, and multiple heritage, environmental, and event awards.