Clean City Committee

Committee Type

Advisory committee or task force

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  Coun. Greg Washuta  Robert Riediger, Transportation & Environmental Services Staff Advisor

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

Donna Miotto, Pitch In Week Co-Chair

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

Tisha Polocko, Website Co-ordinator

Meeting Schedule & Location(s)

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

Anyone is welcome to attend a meeting. Please contact the committee in advance through the Clean City Committee Mailbox to ensure a meeting has not been moved or cancelled.

View our Meeting Minutes, which are posted after each meeting.

Committee Events

Pitch In Week 2013

The 2013 Clean City Pitch-in Day, held April 27, 2013, was a great success. We are happy to report that 250 bags of garbage were collected by volunteers.

Thank you to everyone that volunteered and gave their time to clean up our city and we ask for your continued support at our next event.

DON'T FLICK IT! Cigarette Butt Litter Campaign

The City of St. Catharines Clean City Committee (CCC) is embarking on a cigarette butt litter campaign starting April 2013.

The DON'T FLICK IT! Campaign is designed to bring awareness to those that 'flick' their cigarette butts, that they are in fact littering! This is no different than throwing a candy wrapper or piece of gum - cigarette butts are not biodegradable and are polluting our environment. The Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up reports that cigarette butts and filters are the number one litter items polluting our shorelines and waterways. In 2012 over 400,000 cigarette butts were collected as part of the annual Shoreline Clean-up.

The Campaign key messages are:

• Cigarette butt litter in St. Catharines is unsightly and wrong 
• Cigarette butt litter costs taxpayers to clean up
• Cigarette butt litter is harmful to the environment 
• The community needs to do their part by preventing litter in St. Catharines

The Clean City Committee has commissioned St. Catharines Transit posters to bring awareness to this litter epidemic and to educate and enlighten those offenders to think twice - DON'T FLICK IT!

If you must smoke, please dispose of your cigarette butts responsibly, DON'T FLICK IT!

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.

Email the 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.

Helpful links:

St. Catharines Parks and Green Spaces

St. Catharines Trails 

Pitch-In Canada

Niagara Region - Recycling and Waste