Media
It's no secret that plastic pollution is a problem in all waterways. So much, that CBC's evening drive program, On The Coast was wondering what was being done in Vancouver and the surrounding area to address the problem.
Well, thankfully Fraser Riverkeeper, Sadie Caron was a guest of Gloria Macarenko's to explain there's no shortage in action being taken at the grassroots level with The Vancouver Plastic Clean Up - a coalition made up of The Peter Wall Charitable Foundation, Dentist on Demand, Smart Marine Co., Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, Pollution Probe, Skookum Yacht Services, CMHC - Granville Island, Sea Village Marina, Maritime Market Marina Ltd., Poralu Marine, Water Products & Solutions, Surfrider Vancouver, and the U of T Trash Team.
Listen to Sadie's interview here, read the follow-up CBC article here, and share with your community.
It didn't stop there though, the word is out that The Vancouver Plastic Clean Up is taking action.
CTV News at 6:00pm and 12:00pm highlighted the success of this summer, with three Seabins installed at marinas across Granville Island, including Granville Island Public Dock, Sea Village Marina, and Maritime Market Marina Ltd. These sites were selected due to the significant amount of floatable debris concentrated in those areas. By collecting floatable litter, these Seabins are cleaning up False Creek.
They even educate the public about how we influence the waters around us through our waste characterization sessions.
They pick up an estimated 3.9 Kgs of floating debris per day or 1.4 tons per year (depending on weather and debris volumes). What they pick up can range from microplastics as small as 2mm to contaminated organic waste like seaweed and much more.
All of the waste collected by our skimmers is then sorted and reused in the recycling system.
This is waste that would've been finding its way to harm aquatic animals or contribute to how quickly our climate is changing.
Fittingly, Vancouver is Awesome also detailed the awesome work being done at the water's edge in Vancouver.
Unfortunately, this isn't the final solution. We need change to come from the public. Reducing our usage of single-use products and pushing for better recycling systems are just some of the ways in which we will need to adapt if we want to keep trash out of our beautiful waters.
More to come.
If you're interested in speaking with Fraser Riverkeeper about this exciting project, contact matt@swimdrinkfish.ca.
Learn more about the coalition, how Seabins work, and the Vancouver Plastic Cleanup with our videos here:
Styrofoam mixed in with organic debris, collected at Granville Island