New Westminster residents are invited to show their love for the Fraser River shoreline – by cleaning it up.
The 2013 riverfront cleanup on South Dyke Road in Queensborough will kick off RiverFest, an art and environmental festival in New Westminster that’s inspired by the Fraser River. The shoreline cleanup, which takes place on Sunday, Sept. 22 from 9:30 a.m. to noon, is a family-friendly event that’s open to people of all ages.
“This event gives children a chance to really shine,” site coordinator Karla Olson said in a press release. “Small pieces of litter that can really harm animals if eaten are easily overlooked by us taller humans. When put in this context, every little scrap picked up is a success for kids—and our environment.”
In addition to picking up litter, data is collected on the types and amount of garbage found. Cleanup teams keep track of what’s collected, which helps highlight the types of litter people throw out and the types make up the most garbage – information that leads to understanding of the behaviors that trigger littering and to finding ways to stop it from happening.
Organizers request that anyone wanting to help out with this activity bring a clipboard (if possible) and a pen.
Volunteers are also needed to take part in the invasive plant pull that will help remove non-toxic plants that harm the natural shoreline habitat. In preparation for the event, members of New Westminster Environmental Partners and staff from the City of New Westminster have tagged English ivy, holly, Lamium, morning glory, Scotch broom, and patches of blackberry with white and orange paint.
New Westminster Environmental Partners organizes the annual shoreline cleanup. At last year’s event, 79 citizens removed about 165 kilograms of invasive species and litter, including an oven, a refrigerator door, a microwave, six tires, a barrel that was estimated to be 40 years old, and many bags of garbage produced from daily human activities.
“Around noon is when participants last year began putting the garbage and invasive they collected into piles along the roadside to be collected by the city. And it was quite the sight to see,” Olson said. “It really did look like a disaster zone.”
Once volunteers collect the garbage, city staff pick it up and haul it away the organics, recyclables, garbage and hazardous waste.
“In just a few hours, people got to see and participate in a tremendous before-and-after experience,” Olson said. “So, I want to encourage people in New Westminster to stop by and visit this area, not only to see the work done by volunteers, but also to take a minute to thank them for it.”
Community members are also invited to drop by the New Westminster Environmental Partners tent, where they will be able to learn how to fold newspaper liners for their kitchen organics bin. The City of New Westminster launched an organics recycling program for multifamily residences earlier this year and provided residents with small bins in which to collect organics.
In addition to the Sept. 22 shoreline cleanup, New Westminster Environmental Partners will also be attending RiverFest at Westminster Quay on Saturday, Sept 28 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The group will be presenting the data results and photos from the shoreline cleanup in Queensborough.
Any youth under the age of 19 who want to participate without their parents or guardians must bring two signed waivers, which can be found under the Shoreline Cleanup menu tab at www.nwep.ca. Volunteers can also register for the South Dyke Road riverfront cleanup through the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup website at www.shorelinecleanup.ca.
