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
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.