Shoreline Cleanup, Part 2

What does a guitar case, a wool sock and a banged up garbage can have in common? They certainly do not belong on the beach.

If you have been to one of Vancouver’s beaches recently you know how annoying left behind garbage can be for your fun day at the beach. But the negative impact of shoreline litter and aquatic debris goes beyond that. It threatens wildlife through entanglement and ingestion as well as reduces water quality and negatively impacts delicate food webs.

With initiatives like the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup we can make a real difference in our community. What started as a small team of employees and volunteers at the Vancouver Aquarium is now a national program with almost 2,000 registered cleanup sites all across Canada. One of these sites is Spanish Banks that our staff and lawyers cleaned up on May 24.

Equipped with garbage pickers and bags, we scanned the beach for left behind bottles, plastic pieces and everything else that mankind should place in garbage and recycling bins rather than leaving behind after a day on the beach. The bottom line after a two-hour cleanup is both impressive and scary: 743 cigarette butts, over 200 bottle caps and innumerable tiny foam and glass trash pieces. (Let’s not forget the guitar case, wool sock and garbage can. Did we mention diapers?)

As a #UniquelyWestCoast firm, we are proud to do our share in preserving our West Coast shorelines. Check out our Facebook page to view some pictures from our cleanup and don’t forget to sign up for the national cleanup week starting September 20.