Where has Flin Flon’s civic pride gone?
That’s what many residents are wondering as a seemingly never-ending stream of litter pollutes the streets and parks of the city.
“Yeah, it’s pretty gross,” says James Ballantyne as he observes discarded pop cans along Hapnot Street. “There’s no need for it at all.”
All the garbage she saw around Flin Flon while snapping photos a few years ago disgusted another resident, amateur shutterbug Nadine Smart.
“I started taking pictures and talking to people about it, even shared a couple pictures on Facebook,” says Smart. “I walk everywhere, and no one was doing anything about it. The more disgusted I got I realized ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’ totally applied here.”
Smart has taken it upon herself to clean up garbage from areas such as the 100 Stairs and the Tourist Bureau.
She’s not alone, as other residents have been spotted taking time out of their day to scoop up mounds of candy wrappers, paper cups and cigarette sleeves.
This past spring, a group of residents cleaned up the Main Street back alley stretching from Angel Avenue to the fire hall on First Avenue.
Six weeks later, one of the people involved in the cleanup said the alley was again littered with items such as toilet paper wrappers and a whiskey bottle.
“This is disgusting,” says the resident, who asks that his name not be published.
Smart is hoping the city will purchase additional garbage cans to help control the problem.
She says residents have been very supportive of her clean-up efforts, but she knows the real solution is to stop litter before it starts.
“Come on Flin Flon, let’s take some pride in our community and stop littering,” Smart says. “To all who clean and use the garbage cans, thank you.”
