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. 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.
The Great Nova Scotia Pick-Me-Up is coordinated by the Nova Scotia Adopt-A-Highway program and supported in part by the municipality. 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.
Pre-packaged litter kits can be picked up from Halifax Public Library branches or HRM Customer Service Centres during regular operating hours.
Before your event, please review the COVID-19 safety precautions to help keep community volunteers safe and healthy during community clean ups.
Registration for the 2023/2024 Great Nova Scotia Pick Me Up is now 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.
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