PITCH-IN CANADA
The Civic Pride Recognition Program

The National Civic Pride Recognition Program

To Upgrade your Existing Designation click here for an Upgrade Application

To reduce waste, promote recycling, and encourage beautification, communities across Canada and around the world are adopting private-public partnership programs which encourage residents and businesses to enhance their community's environment.

Many communities already participate in successful short-term awareness and clean up programs such as PITCH-IN CANADA Week, Environment Week, National Waste Reduction Week and Earth Day. Others have launched long-term composting and recycling programs and initiated beautification programs promoted by PITCH-IN CANADA such as Adopt a Block, Street, Beach or Park and Communities in Bloom.

The National Civic Pride Recognition Program
PITCH-IN CANADA's The National Civic Pride Recognition Program is the highest form of national recognition extended to those communities who have taken steps to partner with businesses and residents in year-round initiatives to encourage civic pride and improve their community's environment. These communities will be designated as a "Partners in Civic Pride".

Specifically, PITCH-IN CANADA will recognise those communities who have demonstrated that they have implemented the following programs:

Partner in Civic Pride:
Gold Level

Partner in Civic Pride:
Silver Level

Partner in Civic Pride:
Bronze Level

+ A year-round waste management & litter control program

+ A year-round recycling Program

+ A year-round composting program

+ A year-round beautification program

+ A year-round waste management & litter control program

+ two of the three additional programs listed under the Gold Level

+ A year-round waste  management & litter control program

+ one of the three additional programs listed under the Gold Level

Communities who meet any of the three levels of the Partner in Civic Pride designation will:

How to apply for Partner in Civic Pride Designation
The process for applying for designation is easy. Communities need to demonstrate, in their written submission, which can include flyers, brochures, etc..., the following:

1. Waste Management & Litter Control Program
Demonstrate that your community has implemented the five components of a year-round waste management & litter control program. These are:

Component          Possible ways to demonstrate implement            

Technology
  • equipment
  • infrastructure
  • materiel
  • personnel

Education
  • general public
  • target audiences
  • on-going
  • short-term programs
  • participation in national or provincial programs (PITCH-IN Week, National Waste Reduction Week, Earth Day, Environment Week, etc...)
  • paid advertising
  • public service advertising

Enforcement
  • tickets issued
  • fines
  • warnings
  • prosecutions

Legislation
  • relevant bylaws in place
  • personnel & infrastructure
  • updated
  • enforceable

Action

  • samples
  • information on programs/objectives/results/evaluation
  • participation in national or provincial programs (PITCH-IN Week, National Waste Reduction Week, Earth Day, Environment Week, etc...)
  • Adopt Programs
  • future plans

To assist your community in implementing a comprehensive waste management and litter control program, you can access PITCH-IN CANADA's Civic Pride comprehensive waste management and litter control program.

This detailed program, based on research and experience in selected communities, can be downloaded from the PITCH-IN CANADA website free of charge. Just visit our Resources Section.

In addition, information on how to implement an 'Adopt Program' on public property, how to build and maintain a backyard composter and many suggestions for other action programs can be downloaded from PITCH-IN CANADA's Resources Section.

2. Recycling, Composting and Beautification Programs
Your submission may include some or all of the following as well as other information:

Program

Description
(what, where, when, how)

Promotion & Education

Results
(data, photos, etc...)

Recycling Program
  • what items you accept
  • number of depots or other form of collection
  • is program community wide
  • do you distribute recycling boxes and bags
  • are commercial establishments included
  • flyers on preparing and sorting recyclables
  • advertisements
  • brochures
  • new resident information
  • amount collected per month/year
  • recycled material as a percentage of all household waste
  • other effects on amount of solid waste being disposed of otherwise (i.e.: are residents reducing waste?)
  • number of households participating

Composting Program
  • what you accept
  • do you collect compost?
  • do you encourage home composting?
  • are apartments included in your composting program?
  • incentives (i.e.: low-cost composters, etc..)
  • flyers explaining what materials are accepted
  • brochures explaining how residents can compost
  • new resident information
  • amount composted per month/year
  • composted material as a percentage of all household waste
  • other effects on amount of solid waste being disposed of otherwise (i.e.: are residents reducing waste?)
  • number of households participating

Beautification Program
  • description of program(s)
  • on private properties
  • on public properties
  • Incentives for private beautification
  • are vacant lots addressed in your program
  • components of the program: planting, painting, fixing up of old buildings, etc...
  • flyers requesting private participation
  • flyers requesting support from business
  • advertisements
  • public meetings
  • establishment of a beautification committee
  • prizes and/or other recognition programs
  • number of residents participating
  • number of businesses participating
  • examples of programs
  • what the local government is doing on public properties

Upgrading your Level of Partner in Civic Pride Designation
Should your community implement additional programs of The National Civic Pride Recognition Program and, thereby, qualify for a higher level of recognition, you simply contact PITCH-IN CANADA, providing the additional information.

Maintaining your Partner in Civic Pride Designation
After your community has been designated a Partner in Civic Pride Community, you will be required to complete a one-page document each year certifying that your community still maintains the programs which enabled it to be recognised.

De-registering as a Partner in Civic Pride
Should a community cancel the programs, which enabled it to be recognised as a Civic Pride community or not maintain its annual certification then PITCH-IN CANADA will de-register the community by eliminating its listing on the PITCH-IN CANADA website. The community will no longer be allowed to use the Civic Pride logo, a registered trademark of PITCH-IN CANADA, in their promotional or marketing activities or refer to itself as a "Civic Pride Partner Community".

The Cost of Designating your Community as a Partner in Civic Pride
Costs for participating in The National Civic Pride Recognition Program are tied to the cost of becoming a municipal Patron of PITCH-IN CANADA - these fees are 'layered' to ensure that communities of any size can afford to participate.

Initial Designation - No Charge for Patrons of PITCH-IN CANADA. Non-Patrons $750. Cost of your plaque and flag is additional for both Patrons and non-Patrons
This offsets the cost of designating your community as a Civic Pride Community and includes listing, and linking, your community on PITCH-IN CANADA's website, reviewing your submission, preparing your recognition materials, and issuing a media release.

In addition, your community will need to reimburse PITCH-IN CANADA for the cost of producing and shipping your Recognition Plaque and Partner in Civic Pride flag (flag optional).

Finally, your community may wish, at your own cost, to produce and install a "Partner in Civic Pride" Welcome Sign.

Upgrading your Designation - $25 for cost of decal for Patrons of PITCH-IN CANADA. Non-Patrons $250
To cover PITCH-IN CANADA's expense of reviewing supporting documentation for upgrading the community's recognition level, making changes to your community's posting on the PITCH-IN CANADA website and providing your community with an additional recognition item to affix to your Partner in Civic Pride plaque.

Maintaining your Designation - $25 for cost of decal for Patrons of PITCH-IN CANADA. Non-Patrons $125 annually
To cover the cost of sending and reviewing your annual certification form and updating your status on the PITCH-IN CANADA website.

To contact PITCH-IN CANADA for more information, click here

For information about becoming a municipal Patron of PITCH-IN CANADA, click here

To access a National Civic Pride Recognition Program Application, click here

To access a National Civic Pride Recognition Program Upgrade Application click here