Schmutz patrol

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Months of garbage piles up in the shrubbery around Polo Park. (JOFF SCHMIDT / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

Before I gripe about big businesses who let garbage fester around their properties, let me give a shout-out to all the volunteers who spent the weekend picking up months and months of soggy trash in West Broadway and along Omand’s Creek.

Dozens of volunteers braved Saturday morning’s crappy weather and went street by street in West Broadway, raking the trash out from around shrubs, cleaning up vacant lots, tidying around the autobins. It made a miraculous difference. The neighbourhood looks great.

Later, we were headed out for a pretty nice little Saturday afternoon at Home Depot in Polo Park when we noticed the teams out cleaning up Omand’s Creek.

Since the snow melted weeks ago, the creek, already hemmed in by concrete culverts and big box stores, has been a complete pig mess – bags, bottles, papers, coffee and Slurpee cups dangling from every shrub. It was, for me, the single worst example of Winnipeg’s post-winter slobbiness.

But on Saturday, after cleaning teams like the one from Blue Cross got done with the little creek, it was nearly perfect. Almost no garbage to be seen. Way to go, people.

It was a different story across the street at the Toys R Us. Here’s a pic of the lonely bit of landscaping around the store. The Dollar Store bag and the bit of white twine draped upon the shrub almost looks festive, doesn’t it?

Why can’t businesses spend 15 minutes and clean up around their shops?

Better yet, why can’t Winnipeggers use garbage cans?
 

Mary Agnes Welch, Winnipeg Free Press