Members of the Town of Essex council will be asked to approve a new community clean up initiative at their regular meeting tonight.
The Community Clean-up Program encourages neighbours to come together for a common cause by removing litter from the municipality.
It would be coordinated through the Town of Essex Parks and Facilities division, and should it receive approval it would run from April 1 until October 31 each year.
The report to council states that as spring arrives, and Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 each year followed by the Provincial Day of Action on Litter which falls on the second Tuesday of May each year, there is no better time to organize a community clean-up.
Mayor Sherry Bondy has been picking up litter since March, as part of a pledge to pick up at least one bag of trash daily over the course of a year.
"So we really want to celebrate Earth Day everyday in the Town of Essex. And there's been a lot of people that have been motivated to clean up not just on Earth Day or special events, but anytime. We want to support those initiatives because we really want a clean community," she said.
The town will supply gloves, garbage bags, and pick-up the garbage left at designated locations.
These kits can be picked up at the Essex Centre Sports Complex, or the Harrow and Colchester South Community Centre when people preregister.
Bondy says in her own experience of cleaning up around the community she's heard from various other people and groups about ways that the town could get involved.
"Can the town meet us halfway? So what we're going to do is provide gloves, provide bags, and the best thing ever is we're going to pick up the garbage from the side of the road or the area where you've cleaned up after. So you won't have to worry about lugging home dirt garbage. From my 71 days of cleaning up, I can tell you, that's probably the biggest hurdle."
She says by keeping the community clean, they can ensure garbage is directed to the correct location rather than entering waterways or negatively impacting the environment and wildlife.
Bondy gave full credit to town staff for coming up with the idea.
"I really feel we're leading the way and it's an honour because I think the Town of Essex could very well be the cleanest local municipality throughout these efforts. Combined with other groups, like the Essex County Library just did a cleanup. If you just do one day, sure it makes a positive impact, but we want to take the stigma away from cleaning up garbage," she said.
Essex council meets at 6 p.m. tonight.