Channel Cleanup

Typically we clean the turtle ponds near the West End Community Centre. This time I did a quick loop around the ponds to pick up some pool noodles, then ventured across the road, where the drainage channel moves the water directly into the Speed River.

We haven’t yet explored this area, so it was a surprise to see how much was caught in the bushes right at the entrance: a Conservative sign from the April 2025 federal election, packing foam, plastic bags and a partially disassembled shopping cart.

It was a climb to move all the debris up from the channel to the bike, and once I got it out, the next challenge was fitting it on the carrier. There were a few false starts (the Conservative sign kept falling off), but I’ve carted more awkward things before. All the debris made it safely home, where I sorted the recyclables, metal and plastic.

Unfortunately, I didn’t make it very far down the channel since my carried was full with all the debris right at the start of the channel, but I’ll be back to follow the flow to its destination in the Speed River. The rest of it is going the same way next storm.

Here’s a quick video of the cleanup: