Armed with garbage bags and good intentions, 60 volunteers braved unseasonably cold temperatures on April 28 to clean up the streets and alleyways of Milton Park. By day’s end, the neighbourhood had undergone a significant transformation, with the volunteers – many of them McGill students – filling no fewer than 50 garbage bags of refuse and recyclables
“Clean It Up was a huge success considering the difficult weather conditions – and that it took place during finals and moving out period. It really shows how students are willing to take action when they see something they don’t like,” said Victor Fradet, a co-organizer along with fellow McGill student Priscille Raynaud “I walked on Aylmer yesterday and I was so proud of the work we did. There is almost no trash left on this street which was the dirtiest ones.”
Meeting at the Milton Gates, volunteers were fed and fortified with water, coffee and homemade cakes before being broken into teams with designated areas to cover. After a briefing on the importance of dividing garbage from recyclables, the teams hit the streets, garbage bags in hand.
Their efforts did not go unnoticed. “People passing by were grateful and we got many thank yous and nods,” said Fradet, a U3 student in Economics with Honours in Political Science. “Some of them told us they had been waiting for an event like this for 40 years!”
The pilot event was such a success that Fradet says a Clean It Up club will be formed in the near future. “We will organise events through the year, particularly in October to clean up the area again,” he says.” Our goal will also be to raise awareness about recycling in this area and inform students at the beginning of the year on important information such as which day they should take their garbage out.”