There will be more plastics than fish in our oceans by 2050, if we continue our current pollution trajectory, according to the World Economic Forum.
To help change that and protect the homes of local wildlife, Albion Farm and Fisheries is hosting Richmond’s Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup Saturday, July 7 at 8 a.m.
The team will clean up along River Road between Cambie and No. 2 Road, including the Richmond Olympic Oval, the playground near the UBC Boathouse and the Navy League of Canada.
Volunteers will be provided with gloves, garbage bags and water. The goal of this cleanup is to raise awareness around on plastic pollution, protect our local marine animals.
“To a sea turtle, a plastic bag suspended in the water looks an awful lot like a jellyfish,” said Meghann Cant, animal welfare educator of the BC SPCA. “One wrong gulp could cost the turtle his life.”
The BC SPCA website reported that more than 8 million tons of plastic are being dumped in our oceans every year. This over-dumping of a non-biodegradable resource that can remain in is original form for hundreds of years has caused harm to a variety of wildlife.
This year’s volunteers will be contributing to the more than 81 kg of trash collected on the coast of Richmond since 2011.
According to the Canadian Wildlife Federation, seabirds, marine mammals, fish, sea turtles and even insects and oysters can be affected by the abundant plastic pollution. Even if the plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, it may still end up in the bellies of wildlife.
Cant urges the public to reduce their plastic usage by replacing disposable items with reusable ones such as cloth shopping bags and refillable water bottles.
Another way to help is by boycotting microbeads; they are a common ingredient used in products such as toothpastes and body washes. Since they are so miniscule, they cannot be filtered at water treatment plants and can flow right into the mouths of marine animals. They have not yet been officially banned in Canada but in the meantime, Cant advises people to avoid buying products that have microbeads in them.
To join the cleanup, visit shorelinecleanup.ca.
