Collections from our Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup
A big thank you to everyone who supported and came out to Adopt-A-Pond’s 9th annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup held in the Rouge Marsh Beach last Friday! The data has been tallied and this has indeed been the best year yet. This year had the best participation of both public and staff to date with over 75 participants in attendance. Well over 4,939 pieces of trash were collected (50+ bags), destroying last year’s record of 1,557+ pieces. The leading team collected 998 pieces. Among the most interesting or unusual items noted were a 6′ door, a propeller, a large dead fish, grates, a license plate, a tire, skateboard ramps, fencing, underwear, hockey nets, a propane tank, a BBQ, and a sock. The most common items were cigarette butts, food wrappers, containers, and other small pieces of plastic.
Most of the items by the end of the four hour cleanup
Adopt-A-Pond, Great Lakes Conservation, and Native Bat Conservation staff sifting for microplastics in the sand
The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is a national conservation initiative led by Ocean Wise and World Wildlife Fund Canada. Shoreline debris and garbage is responsible for the death of millions of animals every year. One participant this year saw a swan eating garbage while cleaning the beach. This event gives Toronto Zoo staff and local community members or groups the opportunity to take local action to clean-up communities in their backyard and do something positive to protect local wildlife.
Toronto Zoo staff, members of the public, and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Thank you to all those who put litter in its place and those who clean up after others!
For more information on joining or hosting a cleanup, click here.
