Small ship tourism operators help remove 425 tonnes of trash from B.C. coastline
B.C.'s efforts to remove trash and debris from the province's coast have netted a huge haul this year.
Throughout 2021, provincially funded groups have removed more than 425 tonnes of marine debris, including plastic bottles, Styrofoam, abandoned nets and rope, abandoned boats and other trash.
The province says that the garbage was collected from 306 kilometres of B.C. shoreline.
Between May and June, nets and ropes made up roughly 42 per cent of all debris removed from coastlines, says the province, while 60 per cent of all items collected were considered recyclable.
Much of the debris will now be sent to specialized recycling facilities, where the garbage will be converted into pellets that can be used to make new plastic products. However, some previously recyclable materials may not be eligible now depending on how much it degraded in the ocean.
The debris were removed by the Small Ship Tour Operators Association – Wilderness Tourism Association, the Ocean Legacy Foundation and the Coastal Restoration Society through funding from the province's "Clean Coast, Clean Waters" program (CCCW).
The CCCW first launched last year as a way to support the coastal tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also improving the environment.
In total, the Small Ship Tour Operators Association employed 180 people for this summer's cleanup, including 111 tourism industry workers and 69 people from coastal Indigenous communities.
"The Clean Coast, Clean Waters initiative is about getting plastic waste and marine debris out of the water and off our shores," said B.C. Minister of Environment George Heyman in a statement Wednesday.
"It is also about creating healthier coastal communities by keeping the waste out of our landfills," he said.
The province says some Clean Coast, Clean Waters projects are still ongoing, including a cleanup project led by the Songhees Development Corporation.
The $2-million project is looking to remove 100 derelict boats from around Southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
'Secret report' or standard research? B.C. government addresses safe supply allegations
B.C.’s premier and one of his top lieutenants are pushing back against allegations by the Official Opposition that he covertly commissioned a report into the diversion of safe supply drugs onto the streets.
Video shows suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
She was too sick for a traditional transplant. So she received a pig kidney and a heart pump
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.