‘Because I Care’ Peterborough movement starts Monday, goal is to eliminate trash along the shores

A campaign to clean up Peterborough’s lakes, rivers and streams kicks off in the community on Monday.

Dubbed the “Because I Care” movement, the campaign calls on local residents to volunteer their time to comb Peterborough’s waterways for plastics and other trash.

The movement is the brainchild of Jim Reedyk, who last fall took it upon himself to spend a couple of hours a day, one or two days a week, cleaning up the rivers, lakes and streams he loves.

Now he wants others to join him and expand the home-grown clean-up campaign into a community-wide endeavour.

“I’m a big fisherman and every time I go, I clean the waterways of trash, plastics mostly,” Reedyk says. “I finally just had enough to the point where I thought, I’m going to bring this to the people’s attention to say look, how can I fill this many bags of garbage?”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I'm a big fisherman and every time I go, I clean the waterways of trash, plastics mostly," Reedyk says. "I finally just had enough to the point where I thought, I'm going to bring this to the people's attention to say look, how can I fill this many bags of garbage?"

The “Because I Care Movement” officially begins Monday at 3 p.m., when he and other community members will meet at the Silver Bean Cafe, then show they care by cleaning up Little Lake.

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“Reedyk says he got the name, Because I Care, after he was cleaning one of the locks, and a lady came up and asked him why he was doing it. Before Reedyk could answer, he recalls that the lady’s son said, “Mama don’t give him heck for cleaning the garbage. Give those who don’t clean the garbage heck. He obviously does it because he cares.”

“And I thought, Wow!” Reedyk recalls.

Every Monday and Tuesday night, Reedyk will provide t-shirts, garbage bags and gloves to other volunteers in the community to clean up lakes, rivers, and streams.

Reedyk hopes that one day there will be no more mess, and they won’t have to clean up anymore.

If you would like to help give back or donate some garbage bags or gloves, you can show up at the Silver Bean Cafe on Monday at 3 p.m.