Keeping Guild Park Clean

Volunteers recently removed bags of garbage - more than 5,000 pieces of junk and trash - from the waterfront along Guild Park

Bags of trash collected in mid-September 2025 by volunteers after they tallied and removed the garbage from the shore area of Guild Park and vicinity

These are the latest results tallied by the volunteers at Guild Park's Shoreline Cleanup held Saturday September 20, 2025. The frequent cleanups are organized by Friends of Guild Park as part of the Canada-wide Coastal Cleanup Day initiative of OceanWise @oceanwise.

The aim is to keep the waterfront habitat safe for all types of wildlife that live along the shore or elsewhere in Guild Park.

A recent visitor is this frog photographed in September at Guild Park's award-winning native pollinator garden.

Since Friends of Guild Park began recording results from these local clean-up, volunteers have removed more than three tonnes of trash from the area around Guild Park that borders Lake Ontario.

According to the actual tally sheet from the clean-up (see image), the most frequently found garbage items were small plastics. Volunteers picked up more than 1,900 plastic pieces. Removing these items is critical, since tiny plastics can be eaten by wildlife - especially birds - but are impossible to digest.

Other frequently found garbage items were cigarette butts, plastic cigar tips and other smoking-related items; as well as plastic bottle caps.

Thanks to everyone - from students of local residents - who lent a helping hand to make the local lakeshore better.

The next cleanup will take place next spring, so watch for details in early 2026.