Three year old issues litter cleanup challenge in Barrington
A challenge has gone out from three-year-old Sophia Strang, of Barrington, for people to get out and clean up the ditches and roadsides in front of their homes.
“It’s pretty bad when a threeyear-old knows the difference,” says her mom Kristen.
The challenge originated when the mother and daughter went for a walk to the local bakery for a treat after preschool.
“She noticed all the garbage on our road, we live on the Oak Park Road, and she said, ‘Mommy look at all that garbage. It’s disgusting. I think someone should clean that up.’”
On the walk back home, the scene was the same; lots of litter in the ditch.
“‘Mom that’s really gross, someone should be cleaning that up,’ Sophia told her mother. “I told her the next fine day we would clean the ditches in front of our house and maybe we could get other people to clean the ditches in front of their house. It would make a huge difference,” says Kristen.
“This morning we were out doing our chores and cleaned up in front before it rained and Sophia said ‘mommy, littering is bad. People shouldn’t do that,’ but here we are.”
Since issuing Sophia’s challenge on social media, Kristen says she is getting a lot of replies from people who have, or intend to, clean up the ditches and roadsides near where they live.
“If everybody did a little bit it wouldn’t take much to go out in front of your house and clean up. It looks so much better,” she says. “I’ve always taught her not to litter and she absorbs things so fast. For her to take notice and how much better it looks says a lot.”
Why people litter is a question Strang and many other people have no answer for really.
“My garbage stays in the car and I throw in the garbage when I get home. It’s not hard. Just some people don’t care,” the mother says. “All we can do is teach our kids growing up and try to change the generation a little bit. Set an example. It takes one person at a time to change the world and teach other people right from wrong.”
COMMUNITY LITTER CLEANUP INCENTIVE
Meanwhile the Municipality of Barrington has also launched the Community Litter CleanUp Incentive Program.
Under the program, individuals and or groups will be paid $100 per kilometre for cleaning both sides of a highway or road that are designated roadsides within the municipality during April and May. A minimum of one kilometre must be clean of debris.
“I’ve mapped out 100 kilometres throughout the different districts” to be cleaned, says Community Litter Coordinator Megan Smith.
So far only about five people have come in to fill out the form, Smith said at the time this story was written. “We won’t turn anyone away as long as there are kilometres left to do,” she says.
Funding will be awarded upon the submission of a completed application, including all required forms, permits and authorizations. Applicants must apply for a permit from the Nova Scotia Department of Public Works.
Litter collected must be separated
into recyclables, organics and residual waste, properly bagged and left at a designated area for pick up for disposal by municipal officials.
Any recyclable materials such as cans and bottles can be collected and taken away by the applicant, as a fundraiser.
To register for this program Megan Smith can be contacted by phone at 902-903-0493 or by email at msmith@ barringtonmunicipality.com.