Litter-Free Lethbridge

A clean city improves the quality of life for everyone.

Did you know?

Litter is expensive to clean up, hazardous to wildlife and pets, impacts the quality of life for people around it. Most people do not litter intentionally. Much of the litter that we see in local neighborhoods and green spaces was deposited there unintentionally by high winds grabbing loose material from garbage cans, vehicles, and other outdoor spaces.

You can prevent litter! Here's how...

Top 5 Ways to Prevent Litter

1. Bag and tie your garbage and close the lid. Any loose, blow-able material in your waste cart has the opportunity become litter.

What things can blow out and should always be bagged?

• Dirty pizza boxes (only clean parts of the cardboard can be recycled) 
• Diapers
• Packaging materials (Styrofoam pieces, bubble wrap, etc.)
• Pet litter (please double bag)
• Vacuum bag contents
• Saw dust
  
• Super absorbent materials such as gel pellets, water beads, etc. 
  
• Anything that could blow away in the wind

2. Contain your recyclables. Here are some tips to avoid contributing to litter when dropping of recyclables at the Lethbridge Recycling Stations:

• On windy days, pre-sort your materials at home. A quick visit means less time standing in the wind with loose materials.
• Hold on. When you carry your recyclables from your vehicle, to the bin, put a cover over the top of the bin or use your hand to pin the materials down until they are deposited into the bin.
• Bag your bags. Stuff all your plastic bags into one bag, and tie it. This will keep them heavy enough that they do not blow away and get stuck, as litter, on a fence or in a tree. Do this with other 'bag-like' film plastics as well.
• Bag shredded paper and small loose papers. It's okay to put the whole bag of paper into the paper bin, still tied and contained.
  

3. Use a garbage bag in your vehicle. Garbage on the floor or compartments in vehicles easily blows out when doors are opened in the wind. Do not put loose garbage in the back of open-box trucks.

4. Throw all garbage into a bag right away. It is windy in Lethbridge often. If you put garbage somewhere that is uncontained, it is more likely that it will be picked up by the wind and end up as litter (sometimes within seconds of putting it down). Get in the habit of always holding on to garbage until you can find a garbage can!

5. If you see litter in your neighborhood, pick it up. This will keep if from spreading further. The City of Lethbridge offers volunteer programs for cleaning up litter.

Contact Waste & Recycling Services