New ocean plastics recycling centre on Vancouver Island just 1 of 4 in B.C.

A new recycling centre designed to collect wayward plastics from the ocean has opened on northern Vancouver Island.
The new "ocean plastic depot" is located at the 7 Mile Landfill and Recycling Centre off Highway 19 between Port McNeill and Port Alice, B.C.
The depot accepts a range of plastic items from both community members and industrial cleanup efforts, including lost or abandoned fishing gear, ropes, nets, Styrofoam, hard plastic and some types of buoys.
The ocean plastic depot in Cumberland, B.C., collects materials from shoreline cleanup efforts and legacy equipment from commercial fishing and the aquaculture industry. (Comox Valley Regional District) The plastic collection site is the fourth of its kind in B.C., and the third one to open on Vancouver Island, with other locations in Ucluelet and Cumberland opening last year.
Plans are also in the works to open two more recycling centres in Prince Rupert and the Lower Sunshine Coast.
The new depot on northern Vancouver Island is opening in partnership with the non-profit Ocean Legacy Foundation (OLF) and the Regional District of Mount Waddington (RDMW)
The OLF says that plastic pollution often washes up in rural areas of B.C.'s coast, and that these depots make it easier for cleanup crews to drop off the debris they collect without having to travel vast distances to recycle them.
The plastic that is collected at each depot is later sent to the Ocean Legacy processing centre at Steveston Harbour, B.C., where it undergoes further sorting and cleaning before it is recycled.
RDMW chair Andrew Hory says the regional district is excited to add ocean plastics to its list of recyclable items.
"Removing plastic wastes from our oceans and shorelines, then collecting them locally, directly benefits the environmental health of our community," he said.
Funding for the new recycling depot comes from the national Ghost Gear Fund and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Anyone looking to use the new plastic collection site is asked to register at the Ocean Plastic Depot website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police identify two of eight migrants pulled from water near Akwesasne, Que.
The Akwesasne Mohawk Police identified two of the eight migrants whose bodies were pulled from the St. Lawrence River earlier this week, but said Saturday they're still searching for a local resident whose boat was found near the victims.

Hungry iguana bites and infects toddler with rare bacterial infection before snatching her cake
A rare infection with tuberculosis-like symptoms was reported in a toddler after an iguana bit her before snatching away a slice of cake on a trip to Costa Rica.
W5 investigates | Priest, neighbours issue plea for help for struggling international students in Cape Breton
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
Interim RCMP commissioner Duheme 'very concerned' about foreign interference
As questions continue to swirl around the issue of other countries' meddling in Canadian affairs, interim RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme says he's 'very, very concerned' about foreign interference, and would like to see the national force be able to use intelligence as evidence in its investigations.
Migrant bodies in St. Lawrence 'heartbreaking' but 'predictable,' advocate says
After the bodies of several people were discovered in the St. Lawrence River, who authorities say were likely trying to cross illegally into the U.S., a migrant advocate is questioning why people are fleeing Canada.
April storms bring May norms: Weather Network’s seasonal forecast
The latest seasonal outlook from The Weather Network shows early April will continue to be chilly with flip-flopping temperatures bringing above and below the usual levels of precipitation seen around this time.
At least 26 dead after tornadoes rake U.S. Midwest, South
Storms that dropped possibly dozens of tornadoes killed at least 26 people in small towns and big cities across the South and Midwest, tearing a path through the Arkansas capital, collapsing the roof of a packed concert venue in Illinois, and stunning people throughout the region Saturday with the damage's scope.
A glass of wine or beer per day is fine for your health: new study
A new Canadian study of 4.8 million people says a daily alcoholic drink isn't likely to send anyone to an early grave, nor will it offer any of the health benefits touted by previous studies, even if it is organic red wine.
Federal minimum wage, taxes on alcohol: Here's what's changing in Canada April 1
The federal minimum wage is increasing from $15.55 per hour to $16.65, and taxes are going up on gas and alcohol nationwide starting April 1.