Warmer weather draws people and animals out to parks, where litter abounds
Toronto's citywide cleanup events begin at the end of April, but cleanup volunteers are at work on their own
Top left: Jessica Bernard picks up cigarette butts at Riverdale Park East. Top right: An abandoned broken toy truck at Carlaw Avenue Parkette’s playground. Bottom left: Families enjoy the warm weather at Woodbine Beach. Bottom right: Cigarette butts litter Riverdale Park East, (Kat Bergeron/Toronto Observer)
Neighbourhood cleanups may not be scheduled until the end of April, but volunteers like Jessica Bernard and help keep East York parks clean when they can. Bernard’s most frequently found type of litter is cigarette butts. Contrary to a popular belief, cigarette filters are not biodegradable, as they’re made from a plastic component, cellulose acetate. The Toronto Observer captured Bernard in action and surveyed east-end parks during the warm spell mid-March.
The parking lot is littered with butts to pick up. (Kat Bergeron/Toronto Observer)“Some cigarette butts have been on the ground for longer than others, but they are not as biodegradable as people usually think,” said Bernard. (Kat Bergeron/Toronto Observer)(Kat Bergeron/Toronto Observer)
Discarded dining utensils at Carlaw Avenue Parkette (Kat Bergeron/Toronto Observer)
“Litter picked up by a volunteer,” said the note left in the bag, beside the garbage bin at Carlaw Avenue Parkette. (Photo credit: Kat Bergeron/Toronto Observer)
This bench and the litter underneath sit just inside the entrance to the Carlaw Avenue Parkette. (Kat Bergeron/Toronto Observer)
The pier at Woodbine Beach has a beautiful view of the sunset, but cigarettes line the ground if you look closely. (Kat Bergeron/Toronto Observer)
A Riverdale East Park visitor picked up after their dog, but forgot the bag. (Kat Bergeron/Toronto Observer)
Abandoned drink cups at Carlaw Avenue Parkette, Todmorden Mills Park, and Riverdale Park East. (Kat Bergeron/Toronto Observer)
