(Submitted)

By Jordan Davidson

Earth Day

Rotary clubs ready for huge Nanaimo trash clean-up in honour of Earth Day

Apr 17, 2025 | 4:31 PM

NANAIMO — While many people gather with their families to celebrate Easter, local mid-Island Rotary Clubs are getting ready for their largest annual trash collection.

The Rotary Clubs of Nanaimo and Lantzville are holding their annual Environment Service Day, picking up garbage and beautifying Bowen Park, running on Saturday, April 19 between 9:15 a.m. until 11 a.m. starting at the park’s east entrance on Wall St.

Organizer and member of Nanaimo Daybreak Rotary Club Jill Mont said they do regular community clean-ups throughout the year with groups of about a dozen people, but this event in honour of Earth Day on April 22, gets their largest turnout by far.

“We do get a lot of families with young children and children in strollers, not that they would be picking up, but it’s just a family-safe site that we got for people. Everybody is welcome. Bring your smile, bring your good attitude, and we’ll have an hour of fun together and make a difference.”

All garbage collected is taken away by City of Nanaimo garbage trucks. (Submitted)

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Mont said the most they’ve collected in a single day was around three tons, with common items picked up including food waste and household objects like clothing and furniture.

“We do find lots of shopping carts and we make an effort…to return them to the stores that they belong to because those shopping carts are actually worth quite a bit of money,” said Mont. “The stores appreciate that.”

She said volunteers are welcome to bring their own equipment and sturdy footwear, with around 100 people taking part in years past, collecting 920 kilograms worth of trash in 2022, and anybody is welcome to come and join in.

“The Public Works at the City helps supply all of those things (gloves, trash bags, pick up tools) and they also pick up all the bags of trash once we return to the site at 11:00 a.m. they come by with their giant truck and we load it all up and off they go, it’s all supplied.”

More information on the Rotary Club’s Environmental Service Day, including how to register, can be found here on their website.

There is also a waiver which you are required to sign and bring with you to the event.

Volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome to take part in the annual Earth Day clean-up. (Submitted)

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