Take Pride Winnipeg revealing trash most commonly found this spring

Winnipeg is not looking its best - but Take Pride Winnipeg says that can be changed with help.

Melting snow uncovers all the grime and trash the fluffy white stuff has covered for months. The unpleasant sight is common in the spring, but Take Pride Winnipeg's Executive Director Tom Ethans says thanks to volunteers this changes quickly.

"This time of the year when the snow melts Winnipeg does not look very good," Ethans says.

He says that volunteers work hard to clean up the streets, and "by the end of May Winnipeg is looking pretty good."

The biggest culprit of trash this year, the Executive Director says, is disposable facemasks.

Ethans says discarded masks create both health and environmental concerns.

"It is sad to see how many disposable masks are out on the street right now," Ethans says. "If you drop a mask you generally do not cut the strings that you put around your ears and they can get onto animals that that is bad as well."

Ethans's personal pet peeve is seeing drivers open their windows and toss coffee cups onto the road.

"It drives me crazy when I see at stop signs people drop cups out their car window. I just do not understand why you cannot hold onto that cup until you get home. It is just mindboggling to me that people think it is somebody else's responsibility."

Calling this kind of disposal "Flagrant Flingers," Ethans wants to see the unnecessary littering stop in Winnipeg. He says these actions are part of the problem, not the solution. Cigarette butts are the most common trash found on the ground, making up 30 per cent of all trash, and wrecks havoc on the environment. 

Take Pride Winnipeg sees trash of all kinds dumped across the city, making finding things such as whole sinks far from out of the ordinary.

Where there are particular stretches of road that are worse than others, including on Kenston Boulevard between North Town Road and the Perimeter Highway, most of Winnipeg is due for a spring cleaning.

Groups have taken to the trash bags to help, including YFC Winnipeg cleaning up around its headquarters and a pastor who has spent the past year collecting over 26,000 pounds of litter. Ethans says anyone can join cleanup efforts.

"If everyone in Winnipeg went outside and picked up one piece of litter, that's about 750,000 pieces of litter off of the ground. It does not take much to make a difference."

Ethans says it would be impactful if everyone taking a walk picked up trash.

He says those wanting to help and in need of supplies can contact Take Pride Winnipeg directly, though he does caution they are in desperate need of gloves and in a short supply of trash pickers.