It is time to exterminate the litter bugs — in a non-violent manner, of course.
A new anti-littering campaign has been launched, entitled Keep Nanaimo Clean, that will paint the city with reminders to keep the streets and trails clean. With the help of the increasingly environmentally conscious population, the campaign aims to eliminate the still troublesome littering of fast food wrappings, cigarette butts, drink containers, and dog waste.
A press release issued by the City says that posters carrying the Keep Nanaimo Clean message will be seen in bus shelters and on the side of City refuse collection vehicles. Later in the month, the campaign will spread to the airwaves with advertisements coming to local radio stations.
Nanaimo is reasonably clean compared to many other cities, but littering is still an issue as there are areas that need substantive improvement. While pedestrians are rarely more than 50 metres from litter bins when downtown, the City is currently required to sweep sidewalks between three and four times a week to clear the accumulated trash, the press release states.
“We hope that the Keep Nanaimo Clean campaign will put the message out that littering is unacceptable,” said Manager of Sanitation and Recycling Charlotte Davis. “We are lucky enough to live in one of the most beautiful places in Canada and we want to keep it that way.”
Whilst the City would always like to resolve issues through engagement with residents rather than enforcement, anyone caught littering in the Harbour City is liable for a $100 fine.
“Some of the campaign images are quite hard hitting; we’re glad they promote a response within people and hope to get residents talking and thinking about litter,” Davis said.
The campaign posters feature attention-grabbing images and catchy slogans, which you can download to post yourself from nanaimo.ca.