It was eye-opening.
We were handed gloves, pick-up tongs, a yellow garbage bag and given 20 minutes to pick up as much trash as we could. The media team, consisting of three people from The Squamish Chief and three from Mountain FM, faced off against two other teams: a group of employees from the District of Squamish and a team of keen students from Howe Sound Secondary. There were also representatives of the waste company, including one dressed as the Recycle Man superhero.
Everyone looked raring to go as the whistle sounded. We were beside the high school and skatepark, and scattered in different directions.
Those of us new to the pick-up challenge looked at our bags, hoping they wouldn’t be too embarassingly empty after 20 minutes. How much garbage could we possibly collect in such a short time, especially given that so many others were scouring the same area, competing for the same discarded coffee cups and pop cans?
That was the shocking part.
We began picking up a few items, then discovered a few more behind them, a few more beside them... the trash was everywhere, the remnants of a throw-away society, leading us along a path of refuse. As we peered under bushes, we saw even more and sent in the tongs to pluck it and dispose of it in our yellow bags, which were full after the whistle sounded to end the competition.
It was particularly shocking in a town renowned for its spectacular natural beauty, surrounded by mountains and the ocean. We all know that Squamish residents love to hike, bike and enjoy watersports, but if you’ve walked the trails lately, you will be surprised by the prevalence of garbage strewn along them. Some residents who walk their dogs do pick up after them – but then toss the plastic bag onto the ground. Others bring coffee in paper or styrofoam cups, pop in big cups with straws or fast food in wrappers, then leave the garbage on the ground. It’s disheartening.
The waters of Mamquam Blind Channel and Howe Sound are similar. Within a few hundred metres, you’ll find floating plastic bags and cans and myriad other pieces of trash left behind by boaters.
During the Pitch-In challenge last week, the district team won, but we will all win if we work to keep our environment cleaner. Squamish is worth it.
– Christine Endicott
