Max and Noah Thompson, eight and six respectively, picked up roughly six small bags of garbage in Centrepointe Park last September.
Yesterday, they were awarded Ottawa 67’s tickets at an event to recognize the record 87,409 participants who took part in the 2009 spring and fall Cleaning the Capital campaigns.
Their father, Shawn Thompson, said the two boys thought it was hard work at the time, but enjoyed their first time taking part in the campaign.
“They want to do it again,” Thompson said.
In 2009, enough trash was collected from Ottawa’s parks, woodlots, shorelines and roadways to fill 20 garbage trucks.
Mayor Larry O’Brien and River Ward Coun. Maria McRae, chair of the city’s transportation committee, thanked the efforts of volunteers and sponsors for making the campaigns so successful.
Over the past 16 years, almost 600,000 volunteers have helped make the twice-annual cleanup one of the biggest litter pickup and graffiti removal campaigns in Canada.
This year’s spring Cleaning the Capital campaign runs from April 15 to May 15. Volunteers can register online starting March 15.
