TimminsGetClean.com Together We Can Keep Timmins Litter Free Comments We’d like to hear from you. If you have a story, comment please Contact Us. Your name will NOT be posted. You can also visit our UVent page to read comments from people upset with the cities litter conditions. July 19, 2010 Turning 24 last week and being born and raised in Timmins and now living in Ottawa since graduating the University of Ottawa, i was very pleased to see environmental efforts such as yours being done in Timmins. It is a really inspiring thing to see, especially in a community where participation is always a challenge. I just wanted to give you a little message of congratulations and good luck with your future Clean Up Drives. As a public servant for Environment Canada i am proud to see these initiatives in the city i still call home. Always active in municipal, provincial and federal politics, i have always thought that Timmins would be a great center for recycling for Ontario, whether it be for metals, plastics, or bio-mass. July 14, 2009 I came across your clean-up campaign in reading the Daily Press. As a former Timmins resident I am always so proud to see how citizens of the North still deeply care about their city. You and your volunteers should be very proud of your community involvement in maintaining a clean environment for all. CONGRATULATIONS to all of you. June 24, 2009 Congrats to you and Rick –both of you are doing something really terrific for the beautification of Timmins .  Unfortunately, residents should be more appreciative by not littering but that has always been an ongoing problem.  Working downtown I have noticed that the garbage bins are being utilized and they could be certainly emptied more often for they are too small and often overloaded and the wind takes the light containers everywhere. October 29, 2007 Rick & Debbie, I have to congratulate both of you on this wonderful effort you have put forward. I've noticed a remarkable difference in how our city looks and others have noticed too.  I think attitudes are changing in this city. Living in Melrose It's nice to see a difference after the last cleanup for 2007. As you know I've been to some of your cleanups in support of this venture. I'm astonished at the amount of litter your volunteers have picked up. By looking at some of the litter, it's not hard to figure out who is littering. It seems that people of all ages litter I must say the worse are some of those who smoke and probably some of the younger generation. Around convenience stores, there's tons of garbage that gets blown around. Including numerous cigarette packages, "frosty" type containers, ice cream and chocolate bar wrappers etc. And with people not allowed to smoke in public buildings, the number of cigarette butts on the ground will most likely increase.  In-fact, when cleaning up near T&S Variety on Spruce South, there was a few cigarette butts around the property, but there was very little litter on the store property itself. In September Myself and another volunteer picked up at least three large garbage bags of litter. This garbage got stuck in the tall grasses around a corner and also against the fence of the industrial area around there. One person even left his dogs feces in a bag hanging on a tree. One thing I've noticed... is in places where people get recreation, like tennis courts, baseball parks or walking trails there's empty plastic and glass bottles strewn all over the place. It's ironic these people take the time to get exercise but can't go put the bottle in the garbage can sitting not 30 meters away. Helping keep the city cleaner Is as easy as holding on to the bottle or package until you get near a garbage can or take it home. With winter around the corner I'm hoping residents will think twice about littering. I ask them to think how tough it is for a volunteer to spend two and a half hours once a month to pick up after you. I can attest that it's not easy work, it's a good workout. One interesting story When I was dropping off my four year old step-daughter at school one day last winter. It had snowed the night before and the streets were freshly plowed. She had a snack in the car and wanted to throw her wrapper on the road I explained to her, it's not nice to just throw garbage on the ground, it should be put in a garbage can. If it's on the ground, it's going to look dirty.  She looked at the freshly plowed street and said "I can throw it on the road, the plow's going to pick it up." Rick and Deb Congratulations on caring so much about our community. I look forward to support you both at cleanups during 2008. Barry G. Get Clean year round - October 22. 2007 - Timmins Daily Press Five special events and 7,392 bags of collected litter later, it is apparent that the majority of people in the city still just don't get it.  TimminsGetClean founder Rick Cecconi held his final cleanup effort of the year on the weekend, filling another 635 grocery bags of thoughtlessly discarded trash.  Since June, Cecconi's cleanups have been a monthly affair. While he vows to keep his campaign going, the next event won't be held again until spring - as winter weather is about to set into the area.  Cecconi deserves praise for both his civic pride and the effort involved in organizing the campaign. Still, it must be frustrating to keep organizing the cleanups only to see fresh litter move into targeted areas on a daily basis.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how to eliminate litter: Just stop throwing garbage on the street. Use whatever garbage cans are available or hang onto it until you get home. Timmins Counselor Steve Adams, a regular volunteer at the cleanups, summed up the situation well. "I can't understand why people continue to dump garbage in these lots," he said. The best Christmas present for Cecconi and company would be having residents get the message.  However, we suspect there are enough garbage Grinch’s that will make a major cleanup vital come spring. Anonymous email to TimminsGetclean - October 02, 2007 I had the opportunity to take part in the clean up on Sun. Sept 23/07. I was totally amazed at how precisely organized this event was! Amazing job! One that has been taken very seriously in many ways! After looking through the website I feel that there is no excuse for this behavior!  One thing that I think will really benefit this cause is to be in the schools and educating the children, just as you have begun to do.  Growing up in northern Manitoba , we had a presentation in grade five, which would have been in the 70’s, on the effects of littering.  They showed actual pictures of problem areas, waterways and endangered wildlife, a dead duck with a plastic six-pack ring, wrapped around its body. This presentation had such a powerful effect on my life! I believe that it is of great importance to educate the children! I could never express my gratitude enough to Rick and Debbie for undertaking this enormous problem,  As well to all those who are working along side of them! One way that I will express my gratitude is I will be doing my part! Anonymous email to TimminsGetclean - Sept 21, 2007 Wow!!! Awesome job Rick & Debbie along with those who help organize and contribute to this worthwhile challenge!! I can honestly say, there is a remarkable difference!  Although there is much to be done! You should consider adding a page for “ Dead Beat ~ Litterbugs/Dumpers”, in the same way they have websites for Dead Beat Dads! People could post descriptions of vehicles even license plate numbers of these offenders, or addresses of these people. There is absolutely no excuse for this behavior! All summer I have been walking Around the MRCA trail around Porcupine lake and like you and your wife, the sight of trash left by others was really bothersome to me. After reading about your website in the press and on T.V., I decided one day in june to pickup all this trash and now I devote 2 days a week in keeping up with the litter.  The vegetation is beginning to die off now with the change of seasons so I"m finding more trash farther in the bush.  I carry extra bags in my camera bag so when I see more I just pick it up. The worst trash seems to be water bottles, Tim Horton cups and cigarette butts. I,v picked up in total about 35 bags along with the 1 this morning. Thanks Yours Truly, Pekka Tuohimaa Lets Set An Example For Others - August 29, 2007 I read the updates on your clean up and I was happy to hear that our local students may get on board with the clean up efforts. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the last clean up due to our family vacation but I have to say I did have the clean up on my mind. Two weekends ago my daughter and I were fishing at Sandy Falls by the boat launch taking in the beautiful day. As we sat on the rocks, I looked around in disgust. Garbage was everywhere and broken glass all over the ground. I got so upset that I reeled in my line and put it aside. I went to my car trunk where I always have some garbage bags handy. My daughter and I picked up 3 large garbage bags full of everything and anything. I could have picked up more further down the road but I hardly had room to fit in my daughter in the car after putting in those bags. My daughter felt so good about our little clean up job. The irony was that as we were picking up, I saw a young man throw his pickerel rig bag in the water. My daughter even said "hey why are you littering the nice water?" He looked embarrassed as she laid on the rock and stretched her arms in the water to pick it up. Another man thanked us and said he was happy to see that someone cared enough. I told him that if everyone cared enough we would be able to come fishing here and not worry that our children might get cut by broken glass, or that the water is polluted. We talked loudly enough about the benefits of not littering and others were obviously listening. The whole area was packed full of people watching us as we filled our bags. As my daughter said " Lets set an example for others!" Children are our future and hopefully the schools will get involved in a big way! Good luck and I shall see you at the next clean up. Reduction Of Litter Just had to pass on my pleasure at noticing a reduction of litter in my neighborhood in Melrose.  I left home yesterday armed with my typical garbage bag and disposable plastic gloves to pick up litter en route to IGA through the park at Suzanne and Lonergan. I just couldn't believe it !!! There wasn't a speck of litter en route to the park and not a speck around the nearby bus shelter (there are usually at least several empty water bottles). My shock continued as I walked through the park and found only one Mac Frosty container and straw (are they ever Huge !!).  I used to clean up en route to groceries and by the time I walked home there were already new pieces of litter. That was not the case this time.  It seems the level of consciousness is changing regarding littering. I do believe TimminsGetClean is making a difference.  I extend my Congratulations and Appreciation for that, Rick and Debbie,and for your column in The Daily Press. Sincerely, Debbie Pell.