Community Clean Up is a wonderful eco-action opportunity for everyone in Burlington to get involved! Since we began hosting this city-wide event in 2011, more than 146,500 participants have joined this collective effort resulting in cleaner parks, streams, schoolyards and neighbourhoods.
This year we aim to see 12,000 people participate! Everyone in Burlington is invited to organize a clean up and register it with us so we can track, measure and share the impact we have achieved, together.
Free supplies are available (bags and gloves and a clean up tips sheet), and by sharing your clean up information with us, you’ll be part of an impactful collective experience. Your clean up will also be posted on our Community Clean Up map so everyone can learn which areas of Burlington are being cleaned up of litter, throughout the year.
You can also learn about the Litter League Fundraising Challenge, and the nationwide Butt Blitz further below.
Watch the video to learn the easy steps to participate and click on the tabbed headings below for important details before you register your clean up.
See the growing map of participating clean ups further below, and a link to REPORT YOUR DATA too! Just by sharing your clean up data, you’ll be entered into a draw for a chance to win an eco-prize that we will be awarding in November after the Clean Up wraps up for the year.
CLICK A TITLE FOR cLEAN UP INFORMATION
Click on the various tab headings to discover important information and handy tips to support your successful clean up!
Great for families, friends, neighbourhoods, schools, groups and businesses.
Spend quality time with your loved ones taking local eco-action with this safe outdoor activity. A great way to connect with nature while getting some exercise too.
Great for businesses!
A rewarding opportunity to gather your team or coworkers for a safe outdoor team-building activity that helps both the environment and the community. Are you currently working remotely? No problem! You can still be physically apart AND work collectively to help clean up beautiful Burlington – have team members complete their own litter clean-ups at home on behalf of your workplace, team or business. Gather photos from everyone’s clean up and see just how BIG your impact can be! Discover more corporate programming opportunities here.
Great for the classroom + volunteer hours for participating high school students!
Whether you are in a classroom or online learning, Community Clean Up provides a valuable opportunity for teachers and students to safely get outside, get some exercise and help the local environment too. Organize a clean-up with your class, or encourage parents to organize a family clean-up at home. Make it an exciting class project and encourage students to take photos of the litter they collect. High school students can earn volunteer hours and we have a great complement of resources to support related curriculum.
Want to pump up your impact to help the planet locally?
Check out our Litter League Fundraising Challenge here!
1. Determine a safe location in Burlington that your family, friends, coworkers, community group or classroom would like to clean up. Check out the map further below on the webpage for locations and dates of various community clean ups. Avoid overlap for your clean up or do your clean up on a different day. Tip: check out the “Litter Hotspots” tab for some locations in Burlington that typically require a clean up.
2. Review the important Clean Up Tips sheet and share it with your group participants for safety and waste collection information tips. Ensure the Informed Consent To Participate (see *Waiver tab) is reviewed and agreed to by all of your activity participants.
3. Register your clean up at the BLUE BUTTON BELOW.
Your group, school, family or business name and your clean up date and location will be added to our Community Clean Up map below to help avoid overlapping activities.
We encourage you to use your own clean-up supplies (reusable gloves and buckets or garbage bags), however, you can request free clean-up supplies for your group. Supplies are available for pick-up at our supply depot (while quantities last):
- Burlington Centre: available at Guest Services anytime during hours of operation
- Nature’s Emporium: available in-store anytime during hours of operation
- BurlingtonGreen Eco-Hub (1094 Lakeshore Road): inquire in advance for our hours of operation
4. Have a fun and safe Clean Up. Count the number of full bags of litter you collected and take a photo of your group with your collected litter.
5. Share your data and photos. After you register your clean up with us, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions about submitting your clean up results and how to send us your clean up team photo. BONUS: everyone who sends us their collection results or a photo of their clean up, will be entered into a draw for a chance to win a BG Eco-prize pack! And, if you choose to
post your clean up photo on social media, be sure to tag us and include #CUGU2025
Note: The submission of photos provides permission to BurlingtonGreen to use your photos in print, or in digital materials including social media platforms with permission to edit, alter, copy, or distribute the photos for media advertising and marketing)
That’s it! By participating, you are contributing to a city-wide effort for a cleaner, beautiful Burlington.
Important:
- Clean ups taking place on private property and school property must be either disposed through their waste collection services or brought home and disposed of through regular curbside collection.
If your clean up is taking place on city property and you compile 5 bags or more or larger items you can’t take home with you, and you would like city staff to pick up your collected waste, please be sure to include this information during registration. Specific location of piles must be provided and piles must be left within 3m of a road or parking lot for access.
If there are changes to your registration and you would like a waste pick up or no longer require a pick up, please notify us at cugu@burlingtongreen.org.
The community’s health and safety is of utmost importance to us, please follow Halton COVID-19 safety guidelines to ensure your personal safety and those around you prior to choosing to participate in any eco-activities or tips shared by BurlingtonGreen.
The areas you clean up must be without safety hazards, and safe to access and carry out your litter collection activities.
Review the Clean Up Tips sheet and
share it with your group participants for important safety and waste collection information tips.
Ensure the Informed Consent To Participate waiver (below) is reviewed and agreed to by all of your activity participants.
More Safety tips:
- Visit the cleanup location before your cleanup date to look for possible hazards.
- Arrange for adult supervision if you have youth participants.
- Make sure participating volunteers are safe during the event.
- Exercise caution at all times, watch for traffic and be aware.
- Wear a safety vest or bright clothing so participants can find you easily in an emergency.
- Have all participants work in pairs or small groups.
- Ensure all participants wear work gloves and closed-toe shoes.
- Have young participants ask an adult first if they are unsure about picking up a piece of litter.
- Remind participants to wash hands before eating and at the end of the day.
- Keep sunscreen and insect repellent on hand. Do a thorough check for ticks and practice tick safety measures.
- Make sure all participants drink water and keep hydrated.
- Suspend the cleanup during bad weather (fog, high winds, thunder and lightening)
Hazardous items
Do not allow participants to pick up anything that could be hazardous to their health. This includes:
- hypodermic needles
- syringes
- jagged glass or other sharp objects
- animal carcasses
- urine bottles
- heavy objects
- air brakes etc.
If you come across any hazardous items, flag them and call the City of Burlington at 905-335-7777
INFORMED CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE
The safety of everyone who participates in volunteer activities is extremely important. Please read the safety and risk information below. Community members, volunteers, group leaders, referenced as “Participant”, (individually or collectively), must fully understand and agree to the following before participating in activities.
- Assumption of Risk: The Participant voluntarily assumes and accepts all risks, dangers or hazards arising out of, associated with or related to their participation in this activity. These risks, dangers or hazards, whether leading up to, during or after the activity, include injury, disability, illness, disease, death, and loss, theft or damage of personal property. The participant remises, releases, and forever discharges BurlingtonGreen and The Corporation of the City of Burlington, and its elected officials, employees, successors, and assigns of and from all manner of action, causes of action, suits, proceedings, debts, dues, duties, accounts, covenants, claims, demands, damages (known or unknown), and liabilities whatsoever in law or at equity which the participant and his or her heirs, executors, administrators or assignees had, now have or hereafter may have against said persons in connection with or as a consequence of participating in this activity.
- Responsibility: It is acknowledged that no remuneration, salary, wage or payment or any employee benefits whatsoever will be received for participating in the activity and the participant will therefore not be covered by Workplace and Safety Insurance Coverage and Benefits.
- Consent: Participants under the age of 18 years of age are required to have parental/guardian consent to participate.
- Supervision: Supervision of participants 13 years of age or under during this activity is the sole responsibility of the parent/guardian/teacher/school or event organizer.
- Elements of Risk and Safety: All participants will wear Personal Protective Equipment (protective gloves and closed-toed footwear that is fully laced), and understand the elements of risk including:
- The risks associated with natural areas including slippery conditions, exposure to plants such as poison ivy and stinging nettle, stinging and biting insects(such as ticks), branch/tree failure, and uneven ground.
- There are risks associated with activities located along roadsides, trails, and other places where vehicles are present (e.g. parking lots, off or on-ramp areas adjacent to highways, etc.). Participants should not be near roads or other areas where collisions between pedestrians and other modes of travel can take place.
- Inherent hazards may exist at sites including SHARPS (i.e. needles), which can cause a cut, puncture, or abrasion.
Participants are NOT to pick up any SHARPS including broken glass, wood, needles, metal, large/heavy items.
THE PARTICIPANT UNDERSTANDS AND AGREES TO THE ABOVE WAIVER AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY AND ASSUMPTION OF RISKS IN ITS ENTIRETY AND HEREBY CONSENTS TO PARTICIPATE ACKNOWLEDGING ALL OF THE FOREGOING.
Below are some possible clean-up hotspots that your
family or group may want to voluntarily and safely clean up and we invite you to continue to register your clean up activity with us.
It is strongly recommended that your group leader scout out the area in person, in advance, before organizing your clean-up, to ensure there is enough litter to clean up, and that the area is safe for all your participants and on suitable terrain. Stay well clear of roadways and watch for pedestrians and cyclists on any nearby sidewalks. Safety glasses are recommended when working near trees and bushes.
Have you spotted a location in Burlington that can use a litter clean up that is not already listed below? If so, please report the litter hotspot here.
- Indian Creek area at NW corner of Plains Rd. E and Francis Dr./Designers Way. (Some flat terrain, some sloped terrain. Litter grabber is helpful.)
- Indian Creek by parking lot at far east end of Greenwood Dr. (near Greenwood Cemetery). (Mostly flat terrain. Often lots of litter around small parking lot and creek.)
Ward 2:
- Fence line along south side of Fairview St., from Maple Ave. eastward to overpass. (Mostly flat, open terrain. A few bushes where a litter grabber would be handy).
- South side of Fairview St. across from Walmart, between grassy berm and fence for Creek Diversion Channel. This area is a big litter trap, with lots of plastic bags on ground and in trees. Sloped, grassy area with mix of open areas and bushy areas. Litter grabber and safety glasses recommended. Some bushes and trees may be thorny, so use caution.
Ward 3:
- Wooded area of Cavendish Park by Rambo Creek (Mix of flat and sloped terrain in a nice treed area with dirt trails. A litter grabber is helpful.)
Ward 4:
- Tuck Creek beside plaza at 3500 Fairview St., on south side. (Slightly sloped terrain along creek side. Area is a litter trap from nearby plazas).
- Shoreacres Creek at 4130 Harvester Rd. (by Attridge). Creek banks on south side collect litter; north side could use a bit of cleaning too. Sloped grassy area, a litter grabber would be helpful.
- North side of New St. between Longmoor Dr. and Belvenia Rd. Flat area along sidewalk collects a fair bit of litter. Stay clear of the roadway and be aware of any pedestrians or cyclists on the sidewalk.
- North side of Fairview St., along fence line from Burlington Centre to the field by Canadian Tire.
- Small creek area and stormwater pond at far east end of Mainway Arena parking lot, plus edge of field across the street on south side of Mainway. (Mix of flat and sloped terrain. Includes open areas, and some densely treed areas where a litter grabber and safety glasses would be helpful).
- Hydro fields, ditch, and fence line on south side of Upper Middle Road, on either side of Ironside Dr. Big litter trap from nearby plazas. Lots of plastic bags. Mostly flat ground and slight slopes in an open area.
Ward 5:
- Behind Appleby Arena between parking lot and forest edge bordering Appleby Creek (far east end of parking lot). Small amount of litter on flat ground. Can also go down slope to creek area if want. Good for a small group.
- Sheldon Creek at 5300 Harvester Rd. (by Sylvite). Creek bank on south side could use a clean-up. Moderately sloped, grassy creek bank with bushes near creek edge. A litter grabber would be helpful.
- Appleby Creek at south side of New St., beside Pineland Baptist Church. (A challenging area with sloped creek bank and densely treed area. Is a perennial litter trap area in need of a clean-up. Litter grabbers and safety glasses are highly recommended).
- Bike path at Appleby line south of Fairview, runs behind the Dairy Queen. Flat surface with some trees and shrubbery.
- The Burloak Waterfront Park and its surroundings receive a lot of litter from the plaza across the road.
Ward 6:
- Forested area at NW corner of Headon Rd and Golden Eagle Dr., where a dirt trail follows along Tuck Creek. Most of the litter is along sidewalk at edge of forest. Dense trees and bushes, so a litter grabber and safety glasses recommended. Can be muddy if has been raining.
- East side of Appleby Line, north of Upper Middle Rd., along creek area across the street from big plaza. Area collects a lot of windblown litter. Stay clear of road, and be aware of pedestrians and cyclists on sidewalk.
A BIG thank you to local eco-champion, Dave for kindly providing these hot spot suggestions.
Completed your clean up?
Please click here to share your results. You’ll be entered into a draw for a chance to win an eco-prize!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do you provide clean-up supplies?
Yes! You are encouraged to use your own supplies, but we do have a limited supply of disposable gloves, garbage and recycling bags available for pick up at a few Burlington locations. If you require supplies, please be sure to indicate this during registration. Supplies will be available while quantities last.
Where and when can I pick up supplies?
Supplies are available for pick-up at our supply depots. Please be sure to check hours of operation before going to pick up supplies.
- Burlington Centre: available at Guest Services anytime during hours of operation
- Nature’s Emporium: available in-store anytime during hours of operation
- BurlingtonGreen Eco-Hub (1094 Lakeshore Road): inquire in advance for our hours of operation
I am a student, can this count toward my volunteer community service hours?
Yes! Please let us know at the time of registration that you are a student and will be claiming volunteer hours. We will require you to complete our data submission form and send an email with photos of your clean up, location of your clean up and your volunteer hours form.
A typical clean up is approximately 1-3 hours.
*Note that clean ups must take place in Burlington to be eligible for community service hours.
What if I arrive and my clean up site is already clean?
We do our best to oversee clean up registrations to ensure that groups are not cleaning up the same site at the same time. However, sometimes groups plan their own clean up without registering or informing us about their plans. You may wish to visit your chosen site a day or two before your clean up to assess if it requires cleaning, as well as checking if nearby areas and parks may also be potential clean up spots.
Why does litter end up in the community anyway? And what else can I do to help?
We can all help in the reduction of litter in our communities in various ways. Reducing the amount we purchase and the volume of packaging on products is important. Visit our ” 8 R’s of Low Waste Living” resource for helpful tips.
Additionally, a great deal of litter we see in our community comes from our own homes and businesses. Often this happens on windy days and when recycling and garbage bins are not properly secure. Check out this helpful video on how to properly secure recycling bins and limit the amount of “blow away garbage.”
When you are away from home always be sure to place waste in waste receptacles and secure your waste in a pocket or bag until you have access to the proper waste receptacle.
Always put cigarette waste in designated bins or take them home with you, please don’t leave them on trails, parks and in the community.
Have any further questions? Reach out to us at cugu@burlingtongreen.org
MORE OPPORTUNITIES ( & Clean up map further below)
Join the Litter League!
Double your impact! Participate in the Litter League Challenge, raising funds to help power BurlingtonGreen’s work all year long, while having fun cleaning up litter in the community! We would love for you to take part. Details here.
Burlington Butt Blitz
Join the nationwide Butt Blitz! Cigarette butts are the most commonly littered item on earth and so we’re joining our friends at A Greener Future to help achieve a goal of 1 million butts collected from the environment this April. Open to participants over the age of 19, BurlingtonGreen is the local event coordinator to receive the butt collections to ensure they are sent to Terracycle for recycling.
Learn more here.
Community Tree Planting
Let’s Grow Burlington’s Tree Canopy Together!
BurlingtonGreen and the City of Burlington Forestry Department host community tree planting events in the spring and fall. Participation space is limited and advance registration is required. Click here to discover upcoming opportunities.
Green Up At Home
Plant a tree, pollinator garden, remove invasive plants, and more. There’s lots you can do at your home environment to help make a difference for a greener, more biodiverse Burlington. Learn more and participate in Green Up at Home here.
Beach clean ups
Subscribe to receive our monthly newsletter to your inbox to learn about our periodic beach clean up events. Sign up to participate at our Earth Day beach clean up on April 19, 2025
Earth Day Event
Held annually in April (Earth Day) at the BurlingtonGreen Eco-Hub headquarters at the beach, we welcome the community to join us in celebrating this special day through various fun and rewarding eco-activities.
E- waste drop off
Start gathering your broken and unwanted electronic and other items to be recycled as you get ready to come on by to our popular spring or fall Zero Waste Drop-Off events. The Burlington Repair Cafe will be there too!
GROUPS THAT REGISTER THEIR CLEAN UP LOCATIONS ARE POSTED REGULARLY TO THE MAP BELOW
Please note that some groups may not register their clean up activities with us and thus, you may arrive to your clean up location and find another group cleaning up or the area has already been cleaned up.
Click on the map below to discover the dates and locations of clean up activities throughout Burlington.
Completed your clean up? Share your results and be entered into a free draw for a chance to win an Eco-Prize!
Showcase your support for a cleaner, greener Burlington!
Contact us today to learn more about our rewarding Sponsorship Opportunities.
2025 Community clean up green up sponsors
LEAD SPONSOR
leaf SPONSORS
Help BurlingtonGreen (a Registered Canadian Charity), continue to provide impactful, community-based environmental programs.
Donations of all amounts are greatly appreciated.
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