Year-Round Action

The following are 10 Ways to Keep Canada’s Shorelines Clean all Year Long.

1.       Step up or step out for a local shoreline near you!

Shoreline cleanup programs take place around the world every year. In Canada, the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup takes place every September in every province and territory wherever land meets water. The two ways to get involved are by either dropping in and participating in a cleanup or becoming a Site Coordinator and organizing your own cleanup. Do you know someone in a different region who wants to take action? Then challenge them to sign up for their own cleanup and see if the amount of garbage they collect in their region matches the amount you collect! 

2.       Retrieve all your fishing lines and nets.

Fishing line left in or near the water can entangle and even kill animals that come into contact with it. Remove other people’s fishing lines and nets that you find, but be careful not to pull snagged lines that may be caught on aquatic life, the shoreline or something else below the surface. Some municipalities also have bins for fishers to discard fishing line and nets at the dock.

3.       Put litter in its place.

Clean up your garbage, no matter where you are since most shoreline litter originates from land. Every time it rains or the wind blows, litter inland makes its way into our storm sewers, creeks and rivers, and eventually into the ocean. When throwing out trash look for a lidded container to help keep litter from finding its way to the shorelines and waterways. To find out where most of the shoreline litter found along Canadian shorelines originates from, check out “Facts & Figures” and “Sources of Shoreline Litter.”

4.       Properly dispose of your cigarette butts.

When you’re out for a walk, take along a portable ashtray or use a small container to hold your cigarette butts until you can dispose of them properly. The number one litter item found along shorelines around the world is cigarette butts. Each discarded cigarette filter contains harmful chemicals that can leach into the environment or kill animals that ingest them. Find out more about cigarette litter at the CVW Cigarette Litter website.

5.       Recycle everything you can.

Did you know that in addition to the usual items, you can also recycle keys, motor oil, oil filters, batteries, electronics and packaging materials? Check regularly with your local municipality and green organizations to discover what and where everything can be recycled in your community.

6.       Don’t be a loser, be a re-user.

From reusable bags to water bottles and coffee mugs, from library books to cloth napkins, there are countless numbers of alternatives to single use items readily available. Next time you have a picnic or barbeque try leaving paper plates and plastic cutlery at home. A reusable food container and your own cutlery is a great way to avoid disposable items and make the meal feel special. For more ideas of how to decrease your use of single-use items, check out, “30 Reusable Items vs. 30 Disposable Items” on Blisstree.com.

7.       One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

Next time you’re cleaning up and clearing out unwanted items, look for ways to donate or sell those items instead of throwing them into the garbage. Many local non-profit groups seek donations like toys, clothing, craft supplies, furniture, small appliances and many more items. You can also go online or to a consignment shop to sell or give away items.

8.       Find a green alternative to household and garden chemicals.

Don’t use fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides that can wash into open waters. Many household cleaning products, garden chemicals, and pesticides contain elements and substances that are hazardous and toxic to us and our environment. When ingested, absorbed through the skin or inhaled, they may cause illness or other health concerns that appear immediately or many years later.

Use lemon juice, vinegar and baking soda for household cleaning. Check out the Guide to Less Toxic Products or this pamphlet produced by the Sierra Club for more information on alternatives household cleaners.

9.       Make your mark.

Mark local storms drains with a fish stencil to remind people that the things we dump end up in our water bodies and have potentially harmful consequences. Visit the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Storm Drain Marking Program.

10.    Less is more.

Think before you buy. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need, it will just end up as trash. When you do make purchases, choose items that use less packaging and look for reusable items whenever possible. You’ll save money and the environment at the same time.