The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, a conservation effort of the Vancouver Aquarium and WWF-Canada, does amazing work each and every year to mobilize volunteers to cleanup litter on Canadian beaches.
While our oceans are still beautiful, they are also polluted. All kinds of trash – including plastics, food wrappers, drink containers, clothing, cigarette butts, fishing/shipping debris, household items and tsunami debris – have been dumped into the world’s oceans and shorelines. It is estimated that 4 to 12 million tonnes of plastic alone is deposited in our oceans each year.
All of this trash is degrading aquatic ecosystems and endangering species such as fish, turtles and birds in Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic waters.
This video is a wake up call to the public to take note and get involved:
The purpose of the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is to remove debris before it has the chance to cause damage. The results have been impressive with over 175,000 kg of litter removed from 3,200 km of shorelines in Canada in 2015. That included over 400,000 cigarette butts, over 110,000 food wrappers and containers – yikes!
It’s easy to get involved in the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. Join an upcoming event as a volunteer or sign up your team to coordinate a cleanup at one of many unmanned sites right here in Metro Vancouver. There are several events coming up in September in the Metro Vancouver area – at Stanley Park, False Creek, Dundarave Park, Wreck Beach, Iona Park, Boundary Bay, and Crescent Beach to name a few – and additional events throughout the year.
For more information about the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup and to get involved, visit shorecleanup.ca.
