Our civic pride and reputation are on the line once again this year as judgment day for the Golden Garbage Can competition comes up on Tuesday, May 27.

The city's cleanup committee, comprised of several volunteers from around the city, has put in a lot of planning to ensure Weyburn will once again come out on top over Estevan. Several cleanup exercises, along with a number of mini-competitions, have been held or are being held to contribute to the city's overall effort.

There were three free drop-off days at the city landfill, along with back lane and residential judging held on Thursday, and the Chamber of Commerce judging to be held Monday, May 26. In addition to this, there was the annual Green Exchange garage sale with proceeds going to the Guides, and Minor Ball's biggest fund-raiser, Green Day, where minor ball teams collect pledges and then clean up the city on Saturday, May 24.

All of these in concert with the efforts of individual home and property owners help out to ensure we have a clean city, ready for a busy spring and summer season of outdoor activity.

There are some challenges to achieving this goal, however, as some residents and area chairmen of the cleanup committee have found out in recent weeks.

The first is the proliferation of broken glass on city streets. A number of residents have noted the broken bottles on many streets, not only residential but near the Comprehensive School and on downtown streets.

The ridiculous thing is that the glass is recyclable, with a deposit available for refund on most beer and juice bottles. Other types of glass can still be recycled in the collection bin located at SARCAN's depot on East Avenue. With these in place, there is no excuse for the hazards and dangers posed by broken glass on our streets.

The dangers are posed to pedestrians, to users of motorized wheelchairs, and to vehicles in general, as their tires can be torn up by the glass.

A second challenge is the number of junked vehicles around the city. The city placed an explanation and definition of what a junked vehicle is in their weekly city ad, and have talked about it in council meetings. Despite the knowledge being out there, one area chairman reported that junked vehicles increased from five last year to 21 this year.

There are provisions for vehicles which are being worked on or restored, but beyond that there is no good reason for residents to have these non-working vehicles sitting around on their properties and in back lanes. They are not only an eyesore that could cost us the Golden Garbage Can title, but they could lead to other problems, like providing a home for unwanted rodents (mice, rats or even skunks).

There is a charity that benefits from junked vehicles, the Kidney Foundation, so some good can be provided from that vehicle that doesn't work any more.

The bottom line is, this is our city that many visitors have complimented about being so clean and hospitable; let's work to keep that title and reputation alive. - G.N.