Communities across Canada will head to the water on Sept. 17 for International Coastal Cleanup Day to recover litter from shorelines, parks, and other natural places in their communities.
In B.C. the cleanup is planned at English Bay in Vancouver. There are also cleanups planned at Black Rock Beach in Halifax and Woodbine Beach in Halifax.
This is also the first year a cleanup will be hosted in the U.S., with details to come. Since 1994, Ocean Wise has organized nearly 1 million volunteers participate in Shoreline Cleanups, collecting more than 2.1 million kg of trash across Canada’s shorelines.
According to Ocean Wise, Canadians make up less than 0.5 per cent of the global population, but use 1.4 per cent of all plastic produced.
Furthermore, about 86 per cent of Canada’s plastic waste ends up in landfills, equivalent to the weight of 24 CN towers. A scant eight per cent is recycled.
If you register for a cleanup in Canada, you’ll be entered to win a pair of round-trip Air Canada flights for travel between Canada and any destination Air Canada flies worldwide.
To learn more or register for the event, you can visit Ocean Wise’s website.