Guardians of the Greenway – Litter Cleanup Program

Adopt a Section of the Greenway!

In the Essex Region, we are fortunate to have more than 80 km of connected, safe, off-road greenway trails. These include the Chrysler Canada Greenway, the Cypher Systems Group Greenway, and the Rotary (1918) Centennial Hub. These trails were designed for multiple uses, including hiking, cycling, nature observation and in some areas, for horseback riding. Greenways also provide a valuable wildlife and utility corridor.   

The ERCA Adopt a Greenway Litter Cleanup Program is a year-round, region wide community cleanup program. By adopting a section of the Greenway in this new program, your organization, group, business, family etc. can help keep this important recreational and natural heritage trail system clean and safe for everyone who visits and uses it.  Of course, we always ask guests to pack out what they bring in, but sometimes litter gets left behind.

Program Highlights

By adopting a section of greenway, your group agrees to cleanup your adopted portion of the Greenway a minimum of three times a year (recommended months include: April, May, June, July, September, October).   

ERCA will provide a template checklist on how to plan for a successful event.   

Any litter that is collected will need to be placed at the nearest Community Entrance for ERCA staff to retrieve soonest after the clean up event.   

The group can share photos, anecdotal information, and the impact of litter cleanup (example total number of bags, weight estimated in kg, number of volunteers, interesting finds etc.) with ERCA. The information will be entered to track collective efforts of this program, with our sincere thanks. 

Register your Team and Adopt a Trail Section 

The following map identifies the available sections of the Greenway to adopt and identifies those that have been adopted. We encourage you to pick a trail section that is meaningful to you. Perhaps it is close to your home, school or workplace.  Please click the map or this link, for a larger version of this map with details about each available section.

Once you have selected a trail section, please fill out the following form to email Gina Pannunzio, ERCA Partnerships and Outreach Coordinator, at gpannunzio@erca.org.

Confirming Adoption

Once your adoption has been processed by ERCA staff, we will contact you with more details about your trail section. The adoption package includes:  

• Adoption Agreement Form (sign and return to ERCA)
• A blank Conservation Area Use Permit for the team to complete for your two-year agreement (sign and return to ERCA)
• A map of your adopted trail section and nearest community entrance.
• Instructions on how to plan, coordinate and report the impact of your cleanups. Please note each cleanup will also require volunteers to sign ERCA’s Greenway Litter Cleanup waiver. The waiver should be kept in your records for the duration of the two-year agreement.

Collective Impacts

The following list identifies the collective impacts of the organizations participating in this program with us!

• April 22 2023 – Cycle Kingsville; 10 adults, one toddler; 280 lbs of litter and trash removed.