The metropolis’s banks were a little cleaner on Saturday, after cleaning operations in several districts.
Saturday marked River Day, during which a dozen festive tasks were organized to protect waterways and surrounding biodiversity.
During the cleaning of Raimbault Park alone, in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville neighborhood, around fifty people removed 221 kg of nature waste.
All the tasks, in which about 250 volunteers participated, made it possible to remove a ton of garbage and waste of all kinds, confirmed Jimmy Vigneux, co-founder of the 1,000 Ton Mission that organized the activity in collaboration with the Eco-neighborhoods of Montreal.
This harvest allows us to slowly but surely get closer to the goal of the 1,000 Ton Mission. In five years, the organization has eliminated 360 tons of waste thanks to the work of 50,000 volunteers.
Taking action to protect the planet in a collective and festive context is a great way to make a difference and combat eco-anxiety.
Among the waste collected on Saturday we found no less than 5,000 cigarette butts, Vigneux estimates. When we know that a single cigarette butt can contaminate up to 500 liters of water, that is huge. That’s a huge amount of cigarette butts.
Those who collect waste, but do not participate in collective tasks, can also collect the weight of their harvest and send it to the organization to help achieve its ambitious goal.
Another festive cleanup will take place on Sunday, this time in Quebec, as part of World Cleanup Day. Participants are expected at 1:00 p.m. on the Quai des Cageux.
Last Saturday several municipalities in the northern crown participated in the Great River Cleanup. The municipalities of Blainville, Sainte-Thérèse, Rosemère, Deux-Montagnes, Boisbriand, Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Lorraine and Saint-Eustache organized cleanings of their banks.
