Who will win PITCH-IN CANADA's Heaviest Litter Clean Up Challenge?

Future Friendly and PITCH-IN CANADA challenge Canadians to clean up the environment in Canadian Communities and Wilderness Areas

TORONTO, March 15 /CNW/ - Canadians who are participating in litter clean-up and other actions to improve their community's environment during PITCH-IN CANADA's Operation: Clean Sweep taking place from April 19-25, 2010 are being encouraged to enter in The Heaviest Litter Clean Up Challenge and Most Unusual Litterbug Find. The challenge is a partnership between Future Friendly and PITCH-IN CANADA and is part of the campaign to encourage Canadians to make sustainable behaviour choices.

In its 44th campaign year, PITCH-IN CANADA and Future Friendly are offering the popular contests for a second year in a row as a thank you and a source of recognition of the amazing projects that are held annually by Canadian volunteers participating in Operation: Clean Sweep. Anyone can enter The Heaviest Litter Clean Up Challenge and Most Unusual Litterbug Find by visiting PITCH-IN CANADA's website www.pitch-in.ca. Three winners are chosen in each category and another five entries will be randomly selected. All winners will receive a Future Friendly gift basket or a PITCH-IN Canada flag.

"After the success of the contest and challenge in 2009 we are eager to offer the opportunity to our volunteers to win the coveted prizes again in 2010!" says Misha Cook, PITCH-IN CANADA's Executive Director. "Record numbers of volunteers participate in Operation: Clean Sweep each year and their work has had a huge impact on communities across Canada. Volunteers remove tons of waste that is damaging to communities, wilderness areas and natural ecosystems."

    
    Winning entries from 2009 were:

    PITCH-IN CANADA'S Most Unusual Litterbug Finds:

    -   Friends of Valemount Chamber, Marie Birkbeck, Valemount, BC,
        $100 bill
    -   1st B.E.A.R. Cubs, Kelowna, BC, Abandoned safe
    -   Tweed Hungerford Senior School, Tweed, Ontario, Doll head
    -   1st Trail Cub Pack, Trail, BC, Christmas stocking

    PITCH-IN CANADA'S Heaviest Litter Collections:

    -   Brentwood College School - Green Club, Mill Bay, BC, collected
        8,399.61 lbs
    -   Friends of Osprey Lake, Penticton, BC, collected 7,275.25 lbs
    -   1st Omemee Scout Troop, Omemee, Ontario, collected 5,291.09 lbs
    

PITCH-IN CANADA's OPERATION: Clean Sweep is a multi-province and Canada's oldest and largest program to clean up, restore and beautify the environment. The campaign, taking place April 19-25, is a partnership with governments, the media, business and hundreds of thousands of volunteers from schools, youth groups, and many other community-based organizations, who participate in more than 22,000 projects ranging from clean-ups and fix-ups, composting and recycling programs, tree planting, eco-fairs and energy conservation to the restoration of natural habitats.

Future Friendly is a partnership led by some of P&G Canada's leading home care brands and supported by the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance, the Recycling Council of Ontario and PITCH-IN CANADA. Future Friendly includes products from trusted brands like Bounty, Cascade, Downy, Duracell and Tide. Each Future Friendly product has achieved a reduction in waste or energy consumption during use or production.

Future Friendly products are available at mass, drug and grocery stores. For more information on the Future Friendly program, visit www.futurefriendlybrands.ca.

About Procter & Gamble

Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Always(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Pringles(R), Swiffer(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Actonel(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Clairol Nice 'n Easy(R), Herbal Essences(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Gillette(R), and Braun(R). The P&G community consists of almost 140,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. P&G is the leading consumer products company in Canada with over $2.7 billion in annual sales. Please visit www.pg.ca for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About PITCH-IN CANADA

For more information about OPERATION: Clean Sweep and PITCH-IN CANADA, a nonprofit, charitable, voluntary organization which was formed in 1967 by six volunteers who started cleaning up local beaches, go to www.pitch-in.ca, or email [email protected].

For further information: PITCH-IN CANADA, Misha Cook, [phone], [email protected]; Palette Public Relations, Linda Yahya/Martin Waxman, [phone] x 19/11, [email protected]/[email protected]; P&G Canada, Victoria Maybee, [phone], [email protected]