It’s been a long, drawn-out winter. Snow has come and gone, and there’s always a threat it may still return. However, this constant snow and thaw has revealed one ugly truth on Winnipeg’s streets: the amount of trash that has accumulated.
This trash has been documented in Take Pride Winnipeg’s newly released 2026 Litter Index. Looking at the numbers, Tom Ethans, Executive Director of Take Pride Winnipeg, says overall litter levels are higher than last winter.
“Not horrible, but there are some really bad streets still that make the index go up higher and need more help from people to go out and do some picking up of litter.”
The Litter Index scores neighbourhoods on a scale from 1 (no litter) to 10 (extremely littered). While every area surveyed contained clean sections, all areas also recorded pockets of severe litter. “It’s not just one section of the city. It’s every area of the city. There’s at least 1 or 2 nines and tens, and that’s the worst you can get,” says Ethans. In Area 2: North Central, of the 33 documented segments, 6 were marked as a 10. According to Ethans, cigarette butts alone make up 30 percent of street litter.
The most litter‑affected area in 2026 was North East Winnipeg, averaging a 6.88, while the cleanest area surveyed was Fort Rouge / Fort Garry, with an average score of 5. Other relatively clean neighbourhoods included River Heights / Charleswood and St. Vital / South Winnipeg, both scoring below 5.7. Downtown Winnipeg scored near the middle of the pack at 5.90.
But why is there more litter than last year? Ethans attributes the increase in part to a difficult year for many residents. “It’s been a tough year for a lot of people,” he says, adding that behaviour and habits play a significant role. “You know, it’s not the lack of receptacles, it’s the lack of people understanding that they need to think differently and take their litter with them and not let it drop on the ground.”
Despite the challenges, community involvement has already begun, with individuals, families, schools, and organizations stepping up. “I’ve already seen several individuals out picking up litter and enjoying that. They go out daily to pick up litter.” In one instance, a kindergarten class was proudly cleaning their schoolyard earlier this week.
Take Pride Winnipeg continues to focus on education, particularly with youth, to spark long‑term change. “Okay. We then get them to change their parents’ attitude about how to do things.”
The organization is also hearing strong interest from groups ready to help. “I think I think we got 30 emails today alone from people wanting to go out and do cleanup.”
As warmer weather arrives, Take Pride Winnipeg hopes more residents will take a small amount of time to make a big difference.
– Ryan Funk, U Multicultural
