THE LARGEST number of people in the history of Garbathon came out to clean up the city April 17.
More than 200 people took part, says Greater Terrace Beautification Society president Chris Hansen.
“That's the ones that showed up and not counting the ones not there,” she said, explaining that some people may have gone out to clean up without coming by to pick up bags and gloves from the organizers first.
No one counted the number of people but all 200 coupons for McDonalds treats for those that took part were gone, she said.
“And not everyone takes a coupon, right?” said Hansen.
“We ran out of garbage bags and gloves,” she said.
And not everyone takes one bag; some take six bags depending on where they're going, she added.
“Yeah, it was unreal but the great thing was to have SkeenaWild because they cleaned up the Copper River Flats,” she said, adding that's a great help as the high water from spring melting would otherwise wash the garbage downstream.
Hansen and her husband filled up their pickup twice with garbage while cleaning along the CN Rail fence line by the overpass.
Hansen also found a packsack, someone found an axe and only one report came in about finding a needle, she said.
“What a big difference,” she said of how the city looked after it was cleaned up.
Interesting items found included about $60 in cash, said Hansen.
The strangest item found was a dead cat behind the old River Industries building, she said.
The Geier garbage bin at McDonalds was full to overflowing with at least as much garbage piled up around it, she said, adding the bin was 30 cubic metres in size.
“And it's sad we can't recycle everything we find. Maybe next year we'll include recycling, to what extent I don't know,” she said.
All ages came out, which is the whole idea.
“That's the name of the game: being kind to where you live,” she said, adding young people, seniors and young moms with their babies were some of those helped clean up the city.