The City of Oshawa is inviting community members to help celebrate the arrival of spring by participating in the 26th annual Community Clean-up Week.
A clean-up call has also been issued by Clarington.
Oshawa’s Clean-up Week takes place during Earth Week, April 18- 24, and welcomes groups of all sizes who are interested in volunteering to clean up parks, green spaces, trails and schoolyards. Registered participants are provided with free bags and gloves, while supplies last, and will receive a Certificate of Appreciation to acknowledge their contribution to the community, said a city statement.
Community Clean Ups foster community pride, build partnerships and raise awareness regarding clean and safe communities. Volunteers can learn more and obtain the registration form online at www.oshawa.ca/cleanupweek, it added.
Additionally, a collaboration of organizations within downtown Oshawa will be coordinating the Communities with Brooms event, Wednesday, April 20 beginning at 11:30 am. The event will bring community volunteers together to spruce up the downtown. Residents can register by emailing brooms@jhsd.ca.
Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter said by cleaning up greens spaces, trails and neighbourhoods “we create safe and caring communities, and I encourage everyone to participate and to make a difference.”
“Every spring, with the final melting of the snow, we find little surprises remaining where the wind may have blown them before being covered with the white stuff. Let’s get together and clear them away before the grass starts to grow. In addition, this will be a terrific year of growth and development for our downtown. The city will also feature spring flower planters as well as summer blooms. Let’s start the warm season off on the right foot this year with a concerted effort to help beautify our downtown!” said Councillor Rick Kerr, Chair of the Community Services Committee.
Help keep Clarington litter-free
Get involved and join your neighbours and friends from April 17 to 23 to help keep Clarington litter-free, says a municipal statement. “Let’s work together to clear garbage and recycling that’s accumulated over the winter and ensure our neighbourhoods, local parks, green spaces, and trails are beautiful and safe for everyone to enjoy.”
To organize a cleanup in your neighbourhood, email operations@clarington.net. Let us know which park, trail, or green space you’ll be cleaning and how many people will be helping out. We’ll provide garbage bags and gloves and coordinate the disposal of the collected waste, it adds. “When we all pitch in, together, we can make a big difference.”
Other cleanup events in Clarington
- Operation Clean Sweep
Port of Newcastle, Bond Head, and Samuel Wilmot Nature Areas
Saturday, April 23 from 10 am to noon
Learn more about this event.
Cleanup safety tips:
- Wear gloves while picking up waste.
- Avoid touching your face.
- Immediately wash or sanitize your hands when you’re done collecting waste.
- Supervise children and don’t let children wander off alone.
- Avoid unsafe areas such as railway tracks, creeks, riverbanks and roadways.
- Do not pick up dangerous items like needles, broken glass, hazardous waste or dead animals. Please email operations@clarington.net to let us know the location of these items, and we will arrange for safe disposal.
Celebrate Earth Week with Ajax Green Living Days
The town’s annual Ajax Green Living Days (GLD) program will start from April 19. It encourages residents to work together as a community for a cleaner and greener Ajax.
There are many free activities available with a focus on native tree planting, gardening, reducing waste, composting and picking up litter during the Spring Clean-Up Challenge, said a town statement.
“Ajax Green Living Days is an annual initiative each Spring and is the perfect time for residents and local businesses to show their community pride. The town has a variety of ways to participate from educational webinars, to litter clean-ups, and I am happy to say we are able to once again offer two GLD favourites this year – the community tree planting event and compost giveaway! Thank you for helping keep Ajax clean, green and beautiful!” says Mayor Shaun Collier.
2022 Ajax GLD activities:
- Beautiful Native Plants: Less Work, Less Water (April 19 | 6:30 – 8 pm. | Online): Native plants are beautiful, easy-to-grow options for any space. Join for an introductory gardening webinar to get inspired and plan your own garden oasis. Register.
- Container Gardening (April 20 | 2:30 – 3:30 pm. | Online) & (April 27 | 3 – 4 pm. | Ajax Public Library – Main Branch): Learn about decorative and vegetable container gardening from local gardening expert, Ken Brown. Discover how to plant a beautiful container and successfully grow delicious, fresh vegetables! Register for the virtual program here. Register for the in-person program here.
- Community Tree Planting Event (April 23 | 10 am. – 1 pm. | Greenwood Conservation Area): This is a rain or shine event and will involve the planting of 1,350 native trees. Some shovels will be supplied and participants can bring their own. High school volunteer hours can be obtained during this event. Register.
- Low Waste Living Webinar (April 27 | 7 pm. | Online): The impact of waste on our planet has never been more apparent. Learn about some simple and effective ways to reduce waste at home and at work in this webinar. Register.
- Compost Giveaway Event (April 30 | 8 am. – 12 pm. | Operations Centre, 800 Salem Road North): While supplies last, residents may fill up to four blue boxes with compost. It is asked that residents bring their own shovel for this event.
- Spring Clean-Up Challenge (April – June): The Town’s Spring Clean-Up Toolkits are back and ready for pick up. Help us keep Ajax clean and green. If you want to participate, contact operations@ajax.ca or 905-683-2951 to pick up your toolkit (gloves and bags) today.
Things to do in Whitby
Discover the World of Bees: Join the Town and Alvéole Urban Beekeepers on Tuesday, April 19 at Whitby Central Library (405 Dundas Street West) for a workshop on the World of Bees. Learn how these creatures play an important role in everyday life, from the cough drops in our pockets, to the polish used to waterproof our boots, to the vital role of pollinating a third of the food we eat. In this workshop, participants will learn more about urban beekeeping, beehives, and listen to a beekeeper recount a bee’s life journey, from the moment she emerges from her cell to her final flight. Register now. Thank you to our sponsors Alvéole and Elexicon Energy.
Put Waste in its Place With a Boulevard Blitz: Spring is here and so is the litter. This Earth Day (Friday, April 22), residents are encouraged to spend 20-minutes collecting litter around their neighbourhood using their own bags and gloves. Collected items can be placed by the curb on waste collection day for pickup. Register for a Boulevard Blitz then download the Town of Whitby’s Waste Collection Calendar to find out when your next waste collection day is.
Attend a Community Tree Planting: What better place to spend a beautiful day than planting a tree! On Saturday, April 23, between 10 am and 1 pm, residents are invited to help reforest Whitby by planting Trees at Peel Park (307 Trent Street East). The event is held rain or shine and participants are asked to bring a shovel, gardening gloves and a lot of energy! The town will supply the rest. Outdoor clothing, sturdy shoes (steel toe if possible), a hat and sunscreen are recommended. Register now.
Help Inform The Whitby Climate Change Master Plan: To prepare for and prevent the future impacts of climate change, the town is creating a community-based Whitby Climate Change Master Plan that addresses both climate change adaptation and mitigation. Get involved by:
- Attending a webinar on Thursday, April 21 at 7 pm to receive an overview of the recently completed climate risk model of Whitby and provide your input on actions to help reduce climate risks. Register now.
- Completing a survey through Friday, April 29 visit ConnectWhitby.ca/ClimateChange to take a survey to share your local climate change concerns, what actions you think will have the biggest impact on reducing emissions in the community, and more.
Plant a Native Tree: Native shrubs are a great way to beautify your yard and enhance habitat for local wildlife! The Town has partnered with LEAF to offer residents a choice of over 20 native shrubs – for less! Spring booking has already started. Apply now.
Submit a Post to I See Change: Have you noticed the bulbs sprouting? Are there puddles forming in areas after it rains? Submit your sightings to I See Change. Your photos, stories, and data about how weather and climate change are affecting you will be used to help inform the Whitby Climate Change Master Plan and each post submitted in Whitby will be entered into a draw for an iPad.