Shoreline cleanup advocates push for awareness & change

The federal government implemented a single-use plastics ban on six categories, including checkout bags and cutlery, late 2022.

Lamontagne said since the ban was implemented, a noticeable reduction in those single-use plastics has been recorded by their shoreline cleanup volunteers across Canada.

“But on the flip side of that, we are seeing some of those items that are not finding themselves regulated right now, coffee cups and lids are the main offender that come to mind, really kind of seeing a significant increase.”

This data from the thousands of kilograms of material annually secured from Canadian shorelines has advanced single-use plastic bans, informed choices by food and beverage companies and supported municipal litter policies.

Lamontagne said about half of their shoreline clean-ups contain valuable data regarding the amount and type of waste collected.

Data, Lamontagne said, is instrumental in advocating for policy changes from multiple levels of government, as well as waste producers.

“That data, that information that get collected around what specifically and how much is being collected, allows us to have conversations with municipalities, with companies to try to influence how they’re engaging with their waste.”

Details on joining shoreline clean-ups can done through an Ocean Wise online interactive map available here.

The City of Nanaimo was one of several municipal governments in the province to initiate a single-use plastic checkout bags ban in the summer of 2021, prior to the federal government action.

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by Ian Holmes

Shoreline cleanup advocates push for awareness & change

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