More than two dozen volunteers helped keep Lake Huron clean this week.
Local residents, members of the Huron County Health Unit and members of the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation took part in a "butt cleanup" at the Goderich beach.
Over 35 hundred cigarette butts were collected from the beach. They will be recycled as part of the Coastal Conservation Centre's Environmental Butt Free Beach program.
"This was a great opportunity for members of our community to learn something new and make our communities cleaner, healthier places to live and play," says public health promotion student Michael Roy. "These littered butts can leach harmful chemicals into our waterways and soil.
"Cigarette butts have also been found in the stomachs of fish and birds, and they are toxic when ingested by young children or pets. We also want to make sure people remember that as of January 1, 2016 it is illegal to smoke within 20 m of any playgrounds."