Volunteers tackle Little River litter, find evidence of illegal dumping

Dozens of volunteers swept the Little River watershed Tuesday, picking up litter that included wooden pallets and parts of a swimming pool.

The volunteers donned hip waders and gloves as they hunted down garbage in an isolated area of the Twin Oaks Industrial park around Little River. 

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Participants say the area around Munich Court seems to be a favourite spot for illegal dumping, judging by the piles of cement chunks, wooden pallets and even parts of a swimming pool.

"Unfortunately, this is necessary because people still have the attitude that you can come here and dump because it's an isolated area of the city," said Ian Naisbitt, chairperson of the Little River Enhancement Group.

The group partners with several organizations for the annual litter pickup, including Caesars Windsor, Detroit River Canadian Cleanup, City of Windsor and the Essex Regional Conservation Authority.

"Each year when we start, we end up with huge piles. We pull out grocery carts, lawn mowers, mattresses," said Kelly Laforest, the health, safety and environmental specialist with Caesars Windsor.

Detroit River Remedial Action Plan assistant, Gina Pannunzio says cleaning up the area around the Little River tributary helps the health of the Detroit River and the Great Lakes.

"By protecting Little River, we're also protecting the Detroit River system," said Pannunzio.