Ontario

Bag it! Trash it!

2013 Brighton, Ontario, Canada

Tyler Brown, a grade 9 student from East Northumberland Secondary School won first place for his idea called Bag it! Trash it! Tyler identified that dog waste that is left on the ground by pet owners throughout the watershed is a problem with an easy solution. He identified various environmental concerns such as contamination of local water systems as well as health concerns from diseased dog feces

Tyler proposed installing dog waste dispensers with biodegradable bags in convenient public locations throughout the watershed to encourage dog owners to pick up dog waste and dispose of it in an environmentally friendly manner.

The uptake of Tyler’s solution has been tremendous throughout the Lower Trent Region Watershed with a total of 18 dog waste dispensers to be installed as a result of Tyler’s idea. From May 2013 to August 2013, 14 dog waste dispensers were installed in high canine areas in the towns of Colborne, Brighton (including two Conservation Areas; Proctor Park and Goodrich-Loomis) and Frankford. In the fall of 2013 another eight dog waste dispensers were installed in Presqu’ile Provincial Park.

Tyler’s Caring for Our Watershed idea has had a positive impact for the health of the Lower Trent Watershed and the local communities.

Battery Waste Disposal

2012 Brighton, Ontario, Canada

Kevin Peterson, Grade 8 student at Brighton Public School identified improper disposal of batteries as Battery waste poses a large problem in landfills since large amounts of batteries are disposed improperly. The main problem with batteries in landfills is the chemicals such as lead, cobalt, cadmium, lithium and potassium hydroxide that get leaked into drinking water then consumed by humans. This then causes a large amount of medical conditions.

Kevin noted that, although there are battery recycling programs in place, a lack of advertisement as well as lack of drop off boxes remains a problem. His proposal was to display posters where batteries are sold to inform customers about the battery recycling programs. In addition drop off boxes for batteries are needed in more local businesses and community centers not just big box stores to help expand these programs into smaller communities.

After the Caring for our Watersheds contest Kevin presented his idea to Brighton Municipal Council. They were so impressed that they not only gave Kevin permission to locate a battery drop off box and poster in the municipal building, they also agreed to fund the cost of all the boxes and posters.

Municipal Recycling Cans

2012 Brighton, Ontario, Canada

Alexis Turney, Amelie Robertson and Holly Hutchison from Brighton Public School won first place in 2012 for their idea to install recycling bins alongside each garbage can in Brighton to reduce the amount of recyclables going into the local landfill.

The group noticed that along the streets of Brighton there were 21 garbage cans but no recycling cans. Their proposal focused on installing recycling cans along the main streets of Brighton to decrease the amount of waste entering the landfill and also reducing the amount of pollution throughout the watershed.

With the funding from Nutrien, as well as local assistance from the Municipality of Brighton and Lower Trent Conservation the group’s proposal was successfully implemented in 2013. The implementation resulted in the installation of ten recycling cans next to the existing garbage cans along the two main streets of Brighton.

Native Plants – A Step Toward Improving Our Watershed

2011 Campbellford, Ontario, Canada

Kiersten Bertrand and Abbi Brown won first place in 2011 for their idea to plant native plants especially close to bodies of water. Through this project they wanted to involve local youth and schools, to raise awareness to the sensitivity of our watershed.

With funding from Nutrien the environmental club at Campbellford District High School, staff from Lower Trent Conservation, the Municipality of Trent Hills and community volunteers planted native shrubs and wildflowers along the Trent River shoreline at Hastings Village Marina.

The shoreline planting provides a colourful shoreline buffer, increase wildlife habitat and protect the shoreline from erosion.

The Hastings Village Marina is a popular location for the local community and visitors to the Trent-Severn Waterway. Signage will be installed at the site to educate the public on the importance of natural shorelines.