By Liam Verster

Roadside Clean-Up

Annual Roadside Clean-Up Program offers funds for non-profits and charities

Feb 15, 2020 | 5:00 AM

The County of Grande Prairie is offering funds to charities and non-profit organizations who help pick up litter off County roads, through the annual Roadside Clean-Up Program.

Applications are open for groups who want to raise a bit of money, while also beautifying the County, and helping the environment.

Public Works Director for the County, Dale Van Volkingburgh, says the program has been running for around 15 years, and last year they had a great turnout.

“There was 229 kilometres of roadsides that were cleaned up, and there was over 12 tonnes of litter that had been collected throughout the County. There was 31 groups that participated, and we paid out [a total of $49,595] to those groups.”

The groups that participated in the clean-up were paid $150 for each kilometre they cleared of litter, and an additional $200 was donated to anyone who took a load of trash to the landfill.

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“What this is, is if you wanted to load it up and haul it in your own pickup to the landfill, then we’ll compensate you for that also. Otherwise we have to mobilize staff to it, or have some roll-off bins in the area, to deposit it.”

The money provided to the organizations at the end of the Clean-Up comes from the Public Works Operating Budget.

Organizations that sign up for the program are given a certain area to clean, though Van Volkingburgh says groups can make requests for preferred locations. He says this way groups can pick a location that’s in close proximity, making it easier and more accessible for the volunteers.

In the past years, there’s been a broad base of groups who participated and benefited from the program. Everything from church groups, to 4H Clubs, to community schools have been involved in the program. Van Volkingburgh says a committee is created each year to go through the applicants, and choose who will benefit the most from the program.

“Well in essence we’re looking for non-profit user groups, you know the children-based type things, where they can go out and make some revenue and put in a little bit of sweat equity .”

The groups involved can have kids as young as 9 years old helping out, so long as there’s a supervisor who is 18 or older.

Van Volkingburgh says the participants are made sure to be safe when on the job. Along with having high-vis safety vests, participants will receive a bit of training.

“There is a safety requirement within [picking up trash], there’s a discussion and orientation that has to happen. And if there’s any refuse that they shouldn’t be touching (like needles), then just to leave it and identify where it is, and our staff that’s trained in that can come and collect it.”

He adds the County will do a “communications fan-out” in May, to make sure commuters know that people will be working in the ditches and on the side of the roads, and to be cautious when driving past. There will also be traffic safety signs put out in the areas where people are working.

Van Volkingburgh says he’s seen an increase in participants over the years, and that it’s a great way to raise some money for a charity or non-profit organization, while also doing something that benefits the County.

Applications are due by March 27, and can be filled out online. A committee will choose the groups who will participate sometime in April, and the clean-up will run through the month of May.