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Downtown Prince Rupert gets a much needed tidying up

Positive Prince Rupert turns their attention to the streets for their July clean

Positive Prince Rupert was pounding the pavement on Sunday, July 21 as they tackled garbage buildup along the city’s streets and alleyways.

After tending to the Moresby Trail in June, this month’s challenge was to scour the downtown and provide it with a much needed clean. Chantal Meggison of Positive Prince Rupert (PPR) explained that you never know what you will find discarded in the city.

“We found three Walmart shopping carts, a couple tires, the hood of a vehicle, a children’s buggy, empties as always and a lot of recycled cardboard,” Meggison said.

READ MORE: Positive Prince Rupert sets out for a summer clean

While they pose a problem in natural areas as well, cigarette butts were the most copious offender during the downtown clean.

“I’m finding a huge number of cigarettes, and what’s really frustrating is there’s a can just a few feet away,” Lani Dyck, one of the volunteers out on the day, said. “Why can’t people just pick up their butts?”

Lani Dyck was one of the volunteers who came out to support the cleanup effort. Despite increased numbers, Positive Prince Rupert is hoping more people will pitch in their time at the next cleanup. (Alex Kurial / The Northern View)


READ MORE: Pick up after yourselves people

Turnout topped that of the Moresby Trail effort, but the cleanups have the potential for a much more robust presence. Volunteer Dawn Quast pointed out it is not asking much time from a person’s schedule to come take part.

“It’s an hour a month, that’s all it is,” Quast said. “If we could get several hundred people out for one hour a month it would make such a difference in our town.”

The next PPR cleanup is scheduled for Sunday, August 25, when volunteers will meet at the old Elizabeth apartments behind the Highliner Hotel to perform a clean of the lot and surrounding area. Cleanups usually start around noon.

The clearing below Vihaan's Pizzeria contained a number of tires among the more common trash items. (Alex Kurial / The Northern View)



Alex Kurial | Journalist
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