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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.