Colwood resident Charlotte Gorley is not someone to kick the proverbial can down the street; she prefers to pick it up and put it in the trash.

鈥淭here's a quote somewhere that says, 鈥榊ou get what you tolerate,鈥� and I thought, well if I walk by it I'm tolerating it; so I don't tolerate litter, I pick it up,鈥� says Gorley.

With her no-nonsense attitude to litterbugs, Gorley regularly picks up trash while out on her walks 鈥� something she noticed other Colwood locals were doing too.

But instead of working in silos, what if everyone joined forces in the war on trash, she thought. 鈥淪o we can combine our efforts and be more aware of what each other is doing."

From that idea came the new group 鈥楶romoting Involvement for Community Kleanup Colwood鈥�, better know as PICK Colwood.

Set up with the help of City of Colwood staff and a small group of residents, PICK Colwood plans to organize litter cleanup events throughout the year in an effort to bring residents together, boost community pride and make the city a cleaner, healthier place. 

But this is no ordinary litter picking movement; there鈥檚 a twist.

PICK Colwood also plans to collect data on the types of trash they are finding and where it accumulates.

鈥淲e know there are groups that focus on the waterways like Ocean Wise 鈥� they do a tremendous job of gathering data on what's on our shorelines,鈥� said Gorley. 鈥淏ut I thought there's a gap because we're not seeing what's on our residential streets or our commuter streets.

鈥淟ots of people pick up litter and that's fantastic, but we have no idea how much or what.鈥�

The information gathered will help focus the group鈥檚 cleanup efforts where they are needed most, identify major sources of litter and start conversations with businesses and the community to develop solutions. 

鈥淪o we can base strategies on evidence that's there and hopefully be more effective,鈥� Gorley said.

Data collection will also allow PICK Colwood to measure its progress over time and advocate for better waste management policies, like the location of garbage bins and more accountability for litterbugs.

The group has already started to notice some trends, says Gorley. On residential streets, most of the troublesome litter appears to have escaped from blue box recycling bins. While on streets like Veterans Memorial Parkway, Cairndale and Wishart, Gorley explains there is more 鈥榝ast food鈥� trash, such as wrappers and drink containers.

鈥淪o maybe there's something we can do about that 鈥� focusing on the cause,鈥� says Gorley.

While PICK Colwood is still in its infancy, Gorley says there has already been an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the community, with many people reaching out to ask how they can get involved.

Gorley also hopes to involve local schools, organizations and youth groups 鈥� including the Scouts, where her son Doug Gorley is a leader.

And with two cleanup events already organized and more in the works, there will be an abundance of opportunities to get stuck in and tidy up Colwood.

For Earth Day on April 22, the group will be targeting Sooke Road, and on April 26 events are planned for two locations: Esquimalt Lagoon Beach and Heatherbell Road.

Ultimately, Gorley hopes the new initiative will encourage others to take more pride in their city, as even the smallest of gestures can make a difference, she says. 鈥淚f someone spots me cleaning up Veterans Memorial when they鈥檙e driving by, maybe it will make them think twice and hold on to their litter 鈥� maybe it'll make a difference.

"It would be fantastic if Colwood was recognized as a community with very little litter, a clean community 鈥� and maybe we can even get our neighbouring municipalities on board.鈥�

For more information about how to get involved with PICK Colwood, email pickcolwood@gmail.com; or visit the website: .