The Great Nova Scotia Pick Me Up (GNSPMU)
The Great Nova Scotia Pick Me Up (GNSPMU) is coordinated by the Nova Scotia Adopt-A-Highway program and supported in part by the municipality. The Great NS Pick Me Up is a community based, volunteer driven litter clean-up program.
Groups who register for the Great NS Pick Me Up will be provided with a free kit that includes clear garbage bags, blue recycling bags, and a select number of nitrile gloves. A leaflet outlining disposal procedures is also included in the kit.
This program runs on an annual basis beginning in early April. Find out more about the Great Nova Scotia Pick Me Up program at the NS Pick me up website.
How to get Involved
If you would like to help clean up litter in your neighbourhood, all you have to do is select an area you would like to clean, gather a group of people (friends, family, coworkers, schoolmates, etc.) and register.
Pre-packaged litter kits will be available soon to be picked up from Halifax Public Library branches or HRM Customer Service Centres during regular operating hours.
Registration for the Great Nova Scotia Pick Me Up is open.
How to dispose of the litter you collect
Garbage and recycling can be disposed of by dividing it between participants and placing it curbside with your household waste. This material will count towards the limit of 6 garbage bags per single unit household and sorting rules still apply. There is no limit for the amount of recyclables you can put out for collection.
Participants may also deliver collected garbage directly to the Otter Lake Waste Facility. If your event is registered in the Pick-Me-Up program, your tipping fees will be waived. Please email Solid Waste staff at wasteless@halifax.ca two weeks prior to your event to make drop off arrangements.
If neither of these options can be accommodated by your group, please contact 3-1-1 two weeks prior to your event to arrange collection by HRM staff.
Litter Clean-Up Tips
- Safety is always the most important thing. Don't go anywhere you don't feel comfortable just to collect litter.
- Don't pick up sharps (needles, syringes, lancets, etc.) with your hands, instead, use tongs or a litter grabber. Sharps should be placed in a Safe Sharps Container, which can be picked up and dropped off at your local pharmacy for free. Do not place sharps in the garbage or recycling. If you are not comfortable picking up sharps, please leave them (and report them to the non-emergency police line).
- Proper footwear is also important, closed-toe shoes should be worn.
- Sunscreen, bug spray, and tick spray are always good to have during a clean-up (we suggest watching a video on how to remove a tick prior to the clean-up, just in case).
- Stay hydrated and take breaks when needed.
- Recyclables vs. non-recyclables: “dirty” recyclables cannot always be recycled, as they can contaminate other recyclables. When picking up litter, if a recyclable is not relatively clean, it should go in the garbage.
- If anyone has headphones in while picking up litter, be sure to leave one ear free, especially when picking up litter near roadways.
- As there may not be enough vests for each person attending the clean-up, we suggest that people work in small groups and ensure that at least one person in the group has a safety vest on.
- Working in small groups also helps to reduce the amount of half-filled garbage bags. A small group can collect waste into the same bag, and once it is filled, start a new bag.
- We encourage groups to fill out the data card after their clean-up, provided by Coastal Action. This is the best way to track and record your amazing efforts,.
- Take photos (with permission of participants) and share them on Facebook, we love to see your team and their clean-up efforts.
- If you are transporting waste for disposal after the clean-up, make sure any waste in the back of an open truck or trailer is covered with a tarp or tied down and secured before traveling.
Our way of saying thank you
Win a Zero Waste Prize Pack
After your cleanup event is complete submit your Great NS Pick Me Up Data card to wasteless@halifax.ca to be entered to win a Zero Waste Prize Pack.
The prize pack includes a canvas bag, a produce bag, a set of stainless-steel straws, a set of bamboo cutlery, a pencil sharpener, a pencil and a notepad.
Zero Waste Prize Pack