Londoners are being asked to lend a helping hand in next week's Thames River Clean Up.
Hundreds of volunteers will hit the river's shore on April 18, ridding it of any left over garbage and debris from the winter.
"Some spots are worse than others," says Todd Sleeper, co-ordinator for the clean up. "Bridges are the worst because a lot of stuff comes from our roadways. There is a lot of littering that takes place and sometimes things blow out of our own backyards and into the river."
When materials like styrofoam make their way into river systems they can break down and dilute water quality and simultaneously damage wildlife habitats.
All participating volunteers will be provided with garbage bags, work gloves and wildflower seeds to plant along the shore.
Anyone interested in volunteering can get more information at www.thamesrivercleanup.ca
Last year's event saw 1,500 volunteers clean up 200 km of the Thames.
**This story was written by Alec Ross, a student in the Broadcast Journalism program at Fanshawe College. Alec is currently performing an internship with BlackburnNews.com
