5th Year of Plastic Bag Trail Clean-Up

Monday, June 11, 2012

June 9, 2012 was a lovely sunny day on the trail. Eighteen volunteers donated their morning to plastic bag clean up on the section of Sugarloaf Path downwind of the Robin Hood Bay Waste Management Facility. This marks the 5th year of trail clean up by the East Coast Trail Association with the cooperation and assistance of the City of St. John’s.

“It’s getting better all the time” noted Mark Graesser, path custodian. In two hours, approximately 50 large bags were filled with debris washed down or blown out of the landfill, including older plastic residue and styrofoam. The pile was smaller than in years gone by. Modernized processing at the Robin Hood Bay Waste Management Facility has decreased tremendously the eco-impact on the trail. However, heritage plastic remains clinging to shrubbery out of reach on the cliffs just seaward of the path, and the amount of styrofoam and packaging materials trapped in the woods between landfill and trail appears to be increasing.

Volunteers aged from teens to sixtys participated in the plastic bag clean up. “This will help me to remember my reusable bags when I go to the store” was heard on the bus at the end of the outing.

Thank you to Shelley Pardy, Jim Downey, the City of St. John’s and to all the volunteers for a good day and good job done cleaning up the trail.

For more pictures go here

Story and photos by J. Van Houwelingen