Clean City Committee

Purpose

The St. Catharines Clean City Committee has existed for more than 10 years and is a group of volunteers dedicated to the removal of litter in the City of St. Catharines. The Clean City Committee also works with other volunteer groups, community organizations and interested individuals toward the fulfillment of their mandate.

Vision

The vision of the Clean City Committee is a litter-free City of St. Catharines.

The mission of the committee is to work towards the elimination of litter in the City of St. Catharines through:

• Public awareness;
• Co-operation and communication;
• Promotion and education; and
• The facilitation of community involvement

Goals

The goals of the Clean City Committee are:

• To alter littering behaviour through the development of the community's sense of ownership;
• To encourage community participation through public awareness campaigns and organized litter clean up activities;
• To make the "Don't be a Litter Bug" phrase and image widely recognized by the citizens of St. Catharines; and
• To improve the natural environment and beauty of St.Catharines.

Membership

Membership is open to citizens who reside in and/or are property owners in the City of St. Catharines and who are 18 years of age or older.

Voting Membership

All members of the committee, inlcuding councillors, have full voting rights. City staff do not vote but are there to provide support and resources to the committee.

Membership Responsibility

Members shall observe all corporate policies of the City of St. Catharines with respect to conduct, harassment and discrimination.

Membership Term

Members of the committee are appointed by a vote of council and remain on the committee for the term of council.

Membership List

Coun. Bruce Williamson  Robert Riediger, Transportation & Environmental Services Staff Advisor

Gord Campbell, Alternate Staff Advisor  Elaine Manocha, Co-Chair and Educational Co-ordinator  Cheryl Crawley, Co-Chair

Eric vanRiesen, Secretary

Donna Miotto, Pitch In Week Co-Chair

Holly Washuta, Pitch In Week Co-Chair and Educational Co-ordinator

Tisha Polocko, Website Coordinator

Meeting Schedule & Location(s)

Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at the Lake Street Service Centre, 383 Lake St.

Upcoming Events

Pitch In Week 2012

As part of its annual Pitch In Week, the City of St. Catharines Clean City Committee will be holding two events, the Mayor's Clean Sweep and a Pitch in Rally and Litter Clean Up.

On Wednesday, April 25, 2012, join Mayor McMullan and the students of Applewood Public School, 130 Woodrow Street, St. Catharines, at 11:00 a.m. for the Mayor's Clean Sweep. The Mayor and students will pitch in and collect litter from around the school. Applewood School has the proud distinction of being Canada's first solar heated school - congratulations Applewood!

On Saturday, April 28, 2012, volunteers will meet behind City Hall from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. for the Clean City Committee rally. Ryson's Music Studio will have live music to entertain the crowd and there will be coffee for all from Tim Horton's. There will be a flag raising with the Mayor at 9:30 a.m. and several displays and recycling initiatives.

Niagara Region Waste Management will be selling recycling containers, and the Niagara Region Water Wagon will be on hand with free water - bring your own reusable container for fresh water.

Bring your used batteries and electronics for recycling by Raw Materials Company Inc. and Niagara Electronics Re-use & Recycling Depot (NERRD). 
Acceptable batteries include single use and re-chargeable household batteries. Click here for a list of acceptable electronics

Following this, volunteers will spread out across the city and clean up litter in public places such as parks and beaches until noon.

Click here to contact us and sign up your group and obtain your gloves and Pitch In Canada bags.

Get a group of friends, neighbours or co-workers together and join the Clean City Committee to clean up litter in St. Catharines!

Other Activities/Resources

The Litter Alert Hotline

The Clean City Committee operates a phone-in Litter Alert hotline. Reports can be made about specific areas that require attention because of garbage or litter. Messages left will be retrieved by a Clean City Committee member, who will then contact the reporting person within a week, visit the location indicated, and, wherever possible, initiate a volunteer cleanup. The individual who reports the location will be encouraged to participate in any cleanup efforts.

The Litter Alert hotline is available at 905.688.5601, ext. 1630.

Click here to email Litter Hotline

Action will only be initiated if the necessary contact information has been provided as requested in each of these reporting systems.

The Litter Not Pledge

The Clean City Committee has introduced this initiative to raise public awareness with the hope of eliminating litter before it even hits the ground.

When signing this pledge, an individual acknowledges his/her obligation to respect the right of others to enjoy a litter-free environment. This initiative focuses on items that are frequently dropped on sidewalks or thrown from cars, such as cigarettes. It promotes the proper use of waste receptacles and encourages individuals to hang on to their litter until it can be disposed of properly.

Region of Niagara Anti-Litter Network

The St. Catharines Clean City Committee is one of 40 community organizations that meets regularly to discuss initiatives for the reduction and elimination of litter. The Anti-Litter Network has representation from municipalities of all sizes, including large cities, small towns and upper tier municipalities or counties from both Ontario and New York State.

Helpful links:

Click here to visit St. Catharines Parks and Green Spaces

Click here to visit St. Catharines Trails

Click here to visit Pitch-In Canada

Click here to visit Niagara Region - Recycling and Waste

Click here to visit Niagara Recycling