Students and staff from Mattawa Public School clean up during Pitch In Week. Submitted photo.
Nearly 5,000 people in the Nipissing and Parry Sound districts joined millions of Canadians in cleaning up communities throughout Canada for the weeklong Pitch-in Canada event.
Many schools did their clean-up on Wednesday April 22, to coincide with Earth Day. Some community groups and businesses cleaned up as part of the commitment to the Chippewa Creek EcoPath Adopt-the-Creek program.
According to a news release, since 1990, the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority (NBMCA) has partnered with the national not-for-profit organization Pitch-In Canada. The NBMCA is the first point of contact for this area, and local schools, municipalities and organizations contacted NBMCA to register, obtain garbage bags and arrange for pick-up of the garbage bags, grocery carts and other items they gathered during their clean-ups.
“The number of participants is less than last year, but the enthusiasm from those that have participated is wonderful to see." says Paula Loranger, NBMCA's Community Relations Coordinator. "While it's unfortunate that we still have so much litter, it's encouraging to see those who care about cleaning up our neighborhoods".
