The results of Capital City Clean Up’s 2017 Litter Audit show a continued trend towards less litter on Edmonton’s streets.

The audit was conducted by AET Group in June, which examined litter type and size at 123 pre-selected locations across Edmonton, as well as along Yellowhead Trail between 107 Street NW and the Beverly Bridge.

Since last year, there has been a 35 per cent reduction in large litter and a 26 per cent reduction in small litter.

Miscellaneous plastic and cigarette butts continue to account for the majority of both large and small litter found. Although cigarette litter counts decreased, more work is still needed to address areas such as traffic intersections and locations where smokers congregate to smoke. Estimates show that more than 900 million cigarettes are smoked each year in Edmonton. More than 67 million butts are collected annually in the City of Edmonton’s 719 outdoor ashtrays located in 13 commercial districts city wide.

“The results of this year’s Litter Audit show big improvements in the amount of litter on Edmonton’s streets,” said Don Belanger, manager for Capital City Clean Up. “This downward trend in litter is thanks to the thousands of volunteers, many community groups and local businesses that continue to step up and get involved.”

Audits began in 2009, and since eight years ago, there’s been an overall 74 per cent reduction in large litter and a 59 per cent reduction in small litter

Capital City Clean Up’s 2018 litter management program will continue in the spring. It promotes a unified approach to keeping Edmonton clean by engaging volunteers, schools, community groups and local businesses.