A group from the Heritage neighborhood spent a lunch hour this week cleaning up streets and alleys.
The volunteers quickly filled their truck and had some added help from a passing city crew.
“Without the city jumping in, we would have had more garbage than what we have there,” said Shylo Stevenson, one of the volunteers.
Lots of people pitched in to fill trash containers.
“I went to Broad St. and back with a garbage can. This one. I took care of that one,” said Darren Sangwais, another one of the volunteers.
Litter is always a problem when the snow melts and exposes garbage that has accumulated over the winter months. It’s far more pronounced in the inner city.
“The alleys are just such a mess right now,” explained volunteer Leah Kleisinger. “People don’t have homes so they are digging through garbage to find stuff that can help them live their lives.”
The most worrying part of the cleanup are the needles that have been improperly discarded.
“It’s definitely important, kids use the park and we don’t want kids playing with needles and stuff like that,” Justin Martineau, another volunteer explained. “So it’s good to get out there and get it picked up now that the snow is melted.”
This cleanup is only the beginning as other neighborhood cleanup days are planned to ensure Regina’s inner city is attractive and safe for this upcoming summer season.