You never know what you'll find while cleaning up litter.
Volunteers who removed 1,146 lbs or half a metric tonne of litter from two locations last weekend found more than the usual glass bottles and take-out boxes. They also came across single-use plastics, smoking and drug paraphernalia, an old metal car jack, stuffed animals and an animal skull.
They cleaned up the Detroit River shoreline and the Little River Watershed on Saturday.
About 65 volunteers from organizations like the Windsor Port Authority, HMCS Hunter, and the Rotary Club of LaSalle Centennial Youth Interact Club tackled the cleanup in West Windsor.
In the east end of the city, Tecumseh Deputy Mayor Joe Bachetti joined Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie, Councillor Angelo Marignani, volunteers from Caesars Windsor Code Green, and members of the 35th Tecumseh Scouts along the Ganatchio Trail.
"Waste can persist in the environment and negatively impact green spaces and waterways for a long time," said Chair of the Detroit River Canadian Cleanup Public Advisory Council Tom Henderson. "Every item of litter that is removed from our watersheds and shorelines and disposed of safely means there is one less item in the environment that can harm local fish and wildlife populations."
He added residents should be mindful of the waste they produce and make every effort to dispose of it properly.
