Seeing more trash in London parks? Volunteers and city officials are playing catch up to clean it

CBC

20-03-2025

Annual spring cleanup of the Thames River across southwestern Ontario will take place on April 12
Recyclable containers, coffee containers, plastic water bottles and plastic bags.
These items are among the trash scattered across London parks along the Thames River's waterways. And with a rapid snow melt in recent weeks heading into spring, the garbage has come out of hiding and is back in plain sight.
"We had a lot more snow, so things got trapped in the snowbanks and once it melted, we went from snowbanks to having all this litter in our ditches and in parks along the river," said Todd Sleeper, founder of the Thames River Clean Up group.
"The biggest thing we see is plastics ... they wash down when the snow melts or it blows around when the wind's blowing hard and it's really bad for our environment."
Sleeper's volunteer-run organization, made up of more than 1,000 members in communities spanning into areas such as Stratford, Ingersoll, Woodstock and others, is gearing up for its 26th annual spring cleanup of the Thames River's entire watershed next month.
City officials typically see more garbage on the streets and in parks this time of year, but this winter's heavy snowfall made it harder to access and clean up, said Paul Yeoman, the city's director of parks and forestry.
As the snow quickly melts, higher levels of water along the river have also impeded cleanup efforts, said Yeoman, adding that his team is ramping up staff to make sure parks are clean.
"Both the shoreline and park conditions can really impact our ability to get in and do larger scale cleanups," he said. "We want to make sure things are safe for everyone involved and that we can actually access things and we don't have issues with equipment."
The waste has been especially visible near homeless camps but Yeoman said the city's Coordinated Informed Response teams have been regularly cleaning up and working with people living in those encampments to address any health and safety concerns, including temporarily relocating them.
Image | Garbage near Labatt Brewery London
Caption: Piles of clothing and blankets are along trail behind the Labatt Brewery, near Richmond and Grey Streets in downtown London. Volunteers say abandoned items and waste have been more visible near encampments. (Michelle Both/CBC)
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Tom Cull is co-founder of Antler River Rally, another grassroots group which cleans one area of the river every month and works closely with Sleeper's Thames River Clean Up. More Londoners are taking notice of the litter and trash and are stepping up to help out, with many bringing their own bags to pick up trash while out on walks, he said.
"People have all kinds of reasons why they're upset with seeing garbage along the riverway and in parks. It's unsightly, they're worried about animals and plants that also call these spaces their homes and that kind of pollution poses a real risk to their health," Cull said.
"They're also worried about the pollution of our waterways because the same water that flows in our veins is the same as water flowing in our lakes and streams."
Both Sleeper and Cull said they're encouraged by the renewed interest from Londoners who want to help and both are training new volunteers. Their groups will host the annual cleanup, in partnership with the city on April 12.
Meanwhile, the city will have its 30th annual Clean and Green campaign, which includes a "20-minute London makeover," where people can pick up litter outside their homes and workplaces for twenty minutes on April 11.