PITCH-IN CANADA
Shoreline Clean Up

(total #) LOCAL VOLUNTEERS PARTICIPATE IN PITCH-IN CANADA SHORELINE CLEAN-UP (or MARINE POLLUTION COUNT)

YOUR TOWN: Volunteers from...(name of school/group).... collected ...(# of bags/weight)...... of trash and valuable pollution data during a ...(total # of hours).... clean-up of....(shoreline cleaned up).....The volunteers were part of a national  shoreline clean-up program aimed at reducing marine debris coordinated by PITCH-IN CANADA.

Local volunteers recorded the types and amount of trash they found on special data cards provided by PITCH-IN CANADA.

"Data collected here and around the world points out that marine debris is a global problem," says....(name of local spokesperson/position/group)...."It is important for people, and especially decision makers, to know the extent of the problem so that action can be taken to tackle the sources of these pollutants."

Preliminary results indicate that ....(item/material/or?).... were the number one trash item found on local shorelines. Other items found included......(add as much detail as available)......

Add paragraph about entangled or dead wildlife if found.

Unusual items discovered by the volunteers included....(describe if any found).....

"We want to thank all of the volunteers who participated," says Allard van Veen, founder of PITCH-IN CANADA. "They are the backbone of the campaign and without them this program to stop the trashing of our shorelines could not take place."

Established in 1967, PITCH-IN CANADA is a national non-profit organization whose objectives include identifying and controlling marine and land-based sources of marine debris.

Anyone can participate in PITCH-IN CANADA's programs. Free information about the campaign, helpful hints and data collection cards can be obtained by visiting PITCH-IN CANADA web site at www.pitch-in.ca

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To Contact PITCH-IN CANADA send e-mail to pitch-in@pitch-in.ca or visit PITCH-IN CANADA's Media Centre at www.pitch-in.ca.

For a media release to use before your clean up click here.