Privacy Policy

Great Lake Cleaners (greatlakecleaners.ca) is a Guelph, Ontario-based waterway cleanup initiative. This page explains what information we collect, why we collect it, and how we handle it. We collect very little — and we do not sell, rent, or share any of it.

What we collect and why

Community cleanup submissions

When you submit a cleanup report through our website, we collect the following:

• Your name — so we can credit you on the published cleanup record and thank you personally.
• Your email address (optional) — only used to follow up with a thank-you or to ask a question about your submission. We do not send marketing email or add you to any mailing list.
• Cleanup details — date, waterway, debris collected, and any notes you provide. This information is published publicly on this site as part of our cleanup record.
• Location coordinates (optional) — the GPS coordinates of the cleanup site, which is a public waterway access point, not your personal location. These coordinates are used to place a pin on our cleanup map.
• Photos (optional) — only published if you explicitly check the consent box in the submission form.

Cleaner accounts

You can optionally create an account, which collects your cleanups on a public profile page. Submitting a cleanup without an account works exactly the same and always will — an account is never required for anything.

• Your email address — this is how you sign in. We email you a single-use link rather than asking you to choose a password, so there is no password of yours for us to store or for anyone to steal. Your email address is never shown on your profile or anywhere else on the site.
• A display name and a profile address — both chosen by you, both changeable at any time, and both public. Use whatever name you are comfortable having published.
• Your cleanups — a profile shows the cleanups you submitted, their combined totals, and a map of where they happened. Every one of those cleanups is already published individually on this site; the profile groups them together.

The first time you sign in, we look for cleanups you previously submitted using the same email address and add them to your profile. We only do this once your address has been proven by the sign-in link, and never for a cleanup you asked us not to credit.

You can hide your profile at any time from your account page — it then returns a “not found” page for everyone but you — and you can submit any individual cleanup without credit.

If you delete your account, your cleanups stay published. They are part of a public environmental record and the site’s totals count them. What is removed is the credit: your name and email address are deleted from those records, the cards read “Community member”, and your profile disappears.

Server logs

Like all websites, our server automatically records basic access logs when you visit — including your IP address, browser type, and the pages you requested. These logs are used solely for diagnosing technical problems and are not linked to any personal profile. They are retained for a short period and then discarded.

What we do not collect

• We do not use Google Analytics or any third-party tracking or analytics service.
• We do not use advertising cookies or tracking pixels.
• We do not collect payment information of any kind.

How we store your information

Submission data is stored in our WordPress database on a Canadian server. Email addresses submitted through the form are stored only in that database. We do not export or transfer personal information to third-party services.

Your rights under CASL and PIPEDA

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. To do any of these things, contact us at the address below. We will respond within 30 days.

We do not send commercial electronic messages. If that ever changes, we will obtain your explicit consent first.

Third-party services

Our cleanup map uses OpenStreetMap data via CARTO map tiles, and the Leaflet JavaScript library. These services may log tile requests from your browser. Their own privacy policies apply. No personal information about you is sent to these services.

Our Instagram link points to @greatlakecleaners on Instagram. Instagram is operated by Meta Platforms, Inc. Visiting Instagram is subject to Meta's privacy policy.

Children

Our site is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Cleanup submissions from minors should be submitted by a parent or guardian.

Changes to this policy

If we make material changes to this policy, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review it periodically.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your personal information:
Great Lake Cleaners
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
info@greatlakecleaners.ca