In 2023, the Christina Hunter’s Trash Walking Cup Count Muskoka Facebook group picked up 4,356 littered cups.
“It’s cause for celebration that we have so many dedicated group members,” she says, but adds it’s “bittersweet.”
Hunter, who was elected as Gravenhurst councillor in 2022, created the group in 2019 and it has steadily grown since with it now having 352 members.
The idea is that when a group member is out and about and sees a littered cup, they pick it up, take a picture of them tossing it in a recycling bin, and post about it in the group.
What makes this year’s total bittersweet is the fact that, according to Hunter, it’s over double what was collected in 2022. However, she says last year’s high number may have been caused by Suzanne Harper. Hunter says Harper joined early in the year and has been going out every day collecting 20 to 30 cups.
“I don’t see it as more people littering but just more dedication out there,” says Hunter about the 2023 collection total.
Hunter says while Harper goes above and beyond, not everyone has to. She suggests that someone picking up just one cup a year and putting it in the recycling is one more piece of litter that is properly disposed of.
Hunter, who brings her kids along on some of her trash walks, says she’s happy to know a handful of people have made picking up litter a family activity. “When children recognize the litter and pick it up, I think that’s where it means the most because that’s a whole generation that will see litter as a bad thing and maybe look to alternatives like reusable cups,” she says.
While the group has been growing since its creation, Hunter says it’s nearly 90 percent women. She cheekily challenges men to join in and, whenever they can, pick up a littered cup, and post about it in the group.
“It makes our beautiful area that much more beautiful,” she says.
