All was good....except for the garbage!!! - The Toronto Weekend to End Women's Cancers

Walker1 · Veteran Member

All was good....except for the garbage!!!

Didds · Veteran Member

you played your lunch hand correctly. I wish they would tell us what the meals are in advance so if you have allergies or extreme dislike or whatever you can make alternate arrangements.

Fire Chicks · Veteran Member

I carried my garbage until I found a garbage can, and was surprised at the amount of garbage left on the sidewalks as well. I wondered if the Walk organizers approached the city of Toronto and asked them for cans to be put @ every km or so along the route if that would have improved it? Perhaps a thought for next year?

And brilliant idea on the lunch, good thing you weren't near me, I'd have tackled you for that sub! smile

-- Edited by Fire Chicks on Wednesday 15th of September 2010 03:10:26 PM

JustJoycee · Newbie

The organizers could do something as simple as taping a garbage bag up to the route markers.....those are taken down as the last walker passes and the garbage bags could be picked up at the same time.

jodikimm · Veteran Member

what a great idea!

Walker1 · Veteran Member

That IS a great idea.

They could some of the volunteers keep an eye on the bags and add additional ones, as necessary.

As a walker I wouldn't even mind carrying a garbage bag and placing it in a spot where it would appear to be useful.

They might also announce at the beginning of the Walk that there will be garbage bags placed throughout the route, especially at route markers, and request that participants use them.

CarolynCL · Veteran Member

I was thinking about this too... the garbage tossed everywhere was nasty.

Maybe the organizers should look at this as an event sponsorship opportunity. I wonder if they might be able to find a company that is in the environmental business (could be recycling or 1-800-Got-Junk or a commerical garabage collection company or whatever). Then that company could provide some kind of bins for use along the route, at the pits, camp and the start-up/closing location. It would be really super if they were divided - separating green bin, paper, bottles and non-recyclables. Something that would stand up on their own with the sponsor's name plastered all over them (of course). They could have a crew team assigned to make sure that they were emptied as needed, and the sponsoring company could take care of the cost of hauling the sorted trash away to an appropriate facility for processing.

I mean this year we got nice toilet paper... why not a way to process our trash to ensure that the maxium amount is recycled and the minimum ends up on the lawns and sidewalks of the neighbourhoods we walk through?

If the walkers and crew knew the bins were available, I'm sure most people would go out of their way to make use of them. Those that persist in littering we can all get after when we see it happening on the route

Carolyn

tstevens · Member

I was a first time walker and was also disgusted by the amount of garbage. I felt terrible for the people in the neighbourhood.

The suggestions of the garbage bags/bins at each marker is great. Even better is the sponsor, including recycling! I hope the organizers read these message boards.

I think once they decide on a solution if information about it is included in the package we receive and a note on the weekend prep part of the website it would be very effective.

BAM · Newbie

Hello Ladies,

I totally agree with everyone that the amount of garbage left on unsuspecting homeowners was terrible. My wife and I are part of Caboose so we are up and down the route contstantly and when we got to the Grab & Go at Ledbury Park on Saturday we were asked by the team there to radio to dispatch and ask that "Route Restoration" follow the walkers and pick up the large amounts left on top of the homeowners leaf bag, several people that are on the same radio channel as us came up to me later and thanked me for doing that because they were disgusted as well.

In response to attaching a garbage bag to the route markers along the way, "Route Restoration" does not pick up the signs it is actually a team called Route Marking and they follow the last walker in a mini van and I can honestly say that I would not want to sit in a van for the day with bags of stinky garbage in the back but if enough people complain like us then maybe it will be added to another teams description.

One answer might be to ask the homeower that is giving out the items to put a garbage bin 10-20 houses down the route so that there is somewhere for the garbage to go, I LOVE that the neighborhoods come out and support but they have to take some of the responsibility of the end results.

Although this might not help out very much because I watched crew members and STAFF members picking up SEVERAL of the little plastic wrappers on the juice box straws on Saturday's lunch where there were tons of garbage bins available.

Just my thoughts and can't wait for next year!

Naamphong · Senior Member

I agree with the posts above. I did ask a couple of homeowners May I? as I held out a little garbage and not one said no. They accepted the refuse with a smile and a nod.
trish

Faestone · Veteran Member

The amount of garbage was a huge issue I think. I know I carried alot of garbage in my pack til I got to camp. It could have been cut down alot if the gatorade hadn't been in bottles.

Yes, if folks are going to support us with wonderful treats along the way, it would be wise to have extra garbage cans along the route too. I think it will require a team effort of walkers and homeowners working together to keep it from happening next year.

I don't understand the mentality of dropping garbage wherever. I know I walked a good 3 km with an empty bottle in my hand before I came to a recycling bin set up by the City. I teach my kids not to litter... why can't the walkers do the same? Yes, it's a bit of pain to carry that bit of plastic, that wrapper, that bottle, that apple core.. so what? It's far more of pain to force someone else to clean up after you. Suck it up folks!!

Didds · Veteran Member

I don't think that the powerade bottles should have been an issue. Whatever you would have done with the gatorade at the grab & go you could have done with the powerade. Then tossed the bottle in the garbage before you even go back onto the route. There's no reason to litter those bottles at all!

sue g · Member

I cannot believe what I am hearing,, I was crew at a grab and go, so I was unwawre people were tossing their garbage on route,
all stops (grab and gos, pits, lunch etc) have somewhere to dispose of the garbage
if the walkers cannot hold onto a wrapper for 2.5 kms until they reach a garbage, that is sad.
If we were to put bags along the route, we would need an entire crew team to monitor empty and replace those bags. We need to encourage responsible citizenship to our walkers.

Faestone · Veteran Member

sue g wrote:
. We need to encourage responsible citizenship to our walkers.

EXACTLY!!!!

Ashley Costa · Senior Member

I cannot believe these comments.

It's crazy to think that there was so much garbage left behind by fellow walkers.

I expressed in an earlier post that I was always in the top 300 walkers so I did not notice the garbage on route.

I know that if I was taking a cup from a house (of ice cold pink lemonade), i would always chug it back before I left the house.. or if I saw another house ahead, would take it and walk with it knowing I had planned to throw the cup out at the next house.
Regardless, like someone expressed earlier, there would be another pit stop in 2.5 kms to throw garbage away (if no garbage bin was in sight).

I just think it's horrible (and disgusting) to see grown people throwing their litter on the ground..

I hope this didn't ruin anyone's experience of the walk, and us walkers - especially sponsors and communities because it is these communities that make the Toronto walk so amazing!