| How to participate - organizing your Clean Muskoka Together litter clean-up |
- Register online at least a week in advance of your planned clean-up.
- Find volunteers by encouraging your friends, family and neighbours to join your clean-up event. Select a public, community area where you've noticed litter. This program is meant for areas our community enjoys together, such as sports fields, community play areas, parks, trails and sidewalks. Please stay away from busy roadsides, private property and water bodies.
- Arrange a date and time that will ensure a good turnout of volunteers. Set a rain date in case of bad weather.
- Register your Clean-up online, and arrange to pick-up a Clean Muskoka Together kit. Please check your spam (junk) e-mail folder for your confirmation e-mail, if it's not in your inbox within a few days of registration.
- Review the safety information with your team, and clean-up and have fun! Specially marked garbage bags included in Clean-up Kits are accepted for free at District waste facilities. Remember to make sure plastic bottles, cans and other blue box items you find are recycled - use the transparent blue bags in your Clean-up Kit for recyclables. Please put found coffee cups in the garbage bag, along with any soiled paper recyclables.
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Deliver your litter - and tell us all about it! Follow the instructions in your Clean-up Kit to dispose of litter and recyclables at a District waste facility. Fill out a Clean-up Report - report abandoned furniture, large items or hazardous material.
- We would love to see your before and after photos and videos so show us by tagging @DistrictMuskoka and use the hashtag #CleanMuskokaTogether
For more information on the Clean Muskoka Together program, please email us.
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| Picking up your Clean-up Kit |
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After registering, the Clean-up Captain will receive a confirmation e-mail. Clean-up Kits will be arranged for pick-up at a convenient location, such as the local municipal office or Waste Facility. Clean-up Kits are only distributed to registered participants.
Clean-up Kits include specially marked garbage bags, transparent recycling bags and gloves. All litter during your event must be placed in these specially marked garbage bags to be exempt from tipping fees at District Waste Facilities.
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| Safety tips and things to remember |
- Protect yourself! Please follow the safety tips on the information sheet in your Clean-up Kit.
- Please do not go outside to clean in inclement weather such as thunder/lightening, high winds etc.
- Please stay off private property.
- Please avoid potential dangers such as railway tracks, rivers, river banks and roadways.
- Please do not pick up dangerous objects such as broken glass, needles, liquids, hazardous waste, sharp objects or dead animals. If you come across any of these items or are concerned with items you see, please leave them where you found them and include the location in the Clean-up Report so we can follow up and they can be disposed of safely.
- If an item is too large to place in your specially marked garbage bag, please leave it where it is and include its location in the Clean-up Report.
- All volunteers must read the safety guidelines provided in the Clean-up Kit prior to participating.
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| Disposing of litter |
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After your event, your specially marked garbage bags must be delivered to any Waste Facility at no charge, and your clean-up efforts will be tracked. These bags cannot be collected at the curb.
Any abandoned large items such as furniture, appliances, hazardous waste, etc. must be identified on the Clean-up Report for collection.
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| Recycle right! |
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Have fun keeping Muskoka beautiful! Specially marked garbage bags included in Clean-up Kits are accepted for free at District waste facilities.
Remember to make sure plastic bottles, cans and other blue box items you find are recycled - use the transparent blue bags in your Clean-up Kit for recyclables.
- Only put clean recycling in the blue bags, such as empty plastic bottles and aluminum cans.
- Place dirty recyclables, wet papers, etc. in the specially marked litter bag.
- Check our Waste Wizard or download our Muskoka Recycles app on your smartphone to find out what can and cannot be recycled.
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Clean-up Report
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After your event, please complete a Clean-up Report. The report:
- Confirms the cleanup was completed successfully.
- Helps us track the amount of garbage you collected.
- Lets us know where and what you found.
- Reports any large or hazardous items identified during your clean-up.
- Highlights the important cleanup work done by volunteers.
Clean-up Report
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FAQ's
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| How early do I need to register? |
| Clean-up Captains are encouraged to register at least one week prior to the intended clean-up date. After you register, the Clean-up Captain will receive a confirmation email with more information about picking up your Clean-up Kit at a convenient location. |
| What safety precautions should be considered before scheduling a clean-up? |
All Clean Muskoka Together volunteers must read the safety information included in the Clean-up Kit and understand what to do if they come across any hazardous or large items.
- Please do not go outside to clean in inclement weather such as thunder/lighting, high winds etc.
- Please stay off private property.
- Please avoid potential dangers such as railway tracks, rivers and riverbanks.
- Please do not pick up dangerous objects such as broken glass, needles, liquids, hazardous waste, sharp objects or dead animals. If you come across any of these items or are concerned with items you see, please leave them where you found them and include the location in the Clean-up Report so we can follow up and they can be disposed of safely.
- If an item is too large to place in your specially marked garbage bag, please leave it where it is and include its location in the Clean-up Report.
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| Where do I pick up my Clean-up Kit? |
| Once you’ve registered to be a Clean Muskoka Together volunteer, instructions for your clean-up, including details on how to pick up a Clean-up Kit will be emailed to the Clean-up Captain. |
| What’s included in the Clean-up Kit? |
| Clean-up kits include supplies such as specially marked garbage bags (for no charge disposal at a waste facility), transparent recycling bags for recyclables and disposable gloves. |
| Do I have to register my clean-up? |
| When a clean-up event is registered with us, we are able to track your success and ensure your efforts are counted towards our litter goals.
We also provide specially marked garbage bags in your clean-up kit, which are accepted at no charge at our waste transfer stations to those who have registered. Only these bags will be accepted as no charge disposal for litter clean-up efforts.
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| What do I do with the litter and recycling I collect? |
The waste collected during your litter clean-up should be secured inside the specially marked bags supplied in your clean-up kit. These bags are accepted at no charge, at any District Transfer Station. A full list of our waste facilities and hours of operation can be found at www.muskokarecycles.ca
Check our Waste Wizard or download the Muskoka Recycles app on your smartphone to find out what is garbage and what is recycling. |
| What do I do if I find sharp objects? (broken glass, syringes, needles) |
| Volunteers must not handle hazardous waste. Please leave the items where you find them, and tell the Clean-up Captain so they can note the location details in your group’s Clean-up Report. Note any landmarks, a 911 number or an approximate location to help crews locate these items. |
| Can I schedule a clean-up as part of my high school hours? |
| Yes! Please e-mail our office for more information. |
| What if I need more supplies or I want to schedule another clean-up? |
| We’re here to help. Please email us at waste@muskoka.on.ca. If you’d like to schedule another clean-up, please visit www.muskokarecycles.ca and register for another date. We appreciate your efforts! |
| What do I do if I find abandoned large items, like furniture or appliances? |
| Please leave the items where you find them and tell the Clean-up Captain so they can note the location details in your group’s post clean-up report. |
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Downloads and resources
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Contact us
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If you have questions about the Clean Muskoka Together program, please email us at waste@muskoka.on.ca or call us at 705-645-6764.
We're here to help.
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