Plastic pollution

Photo by April Benze.

Plastic pollution is choking our waterways and threatening the health of fish and wildlife. We are collecting plastic and microplastic data as part of our community-oriented water pollution monitoring program. We are collaborating on research projects with universities, governments and experts in the field. We are providing advice to local, regional and federal governments on plastic science, policies, and regulations. We are working with Ocean Diagnostics to support a strong science-based foundation for solutions.

Lots of garbage on a beach. — Photo by Simon Ager.

People working together to take samples of water in jars. — Photo by Alex Harris / Raincoast Conservation Foundation.

Our approach

Design a source identification toolbox for plastic pollution;
Working with Indigenous and coastal communities to document plastic pollution and track this back to its source;
Conduct research on the source, transport and fate of micro and macroplastics in the environment;
Engage in outside-the-box dialogue with industry and governments to support more sustainable design, manufacturing and processes that stem the release of plastics during the life cycle of a product;
Support community-oriented outreach and training to support solution-oriented actions and capacity building.

Plastics are everywhere

Plastics from just about every sector can now be found all over the world – from mountain tops to the seafloor, from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and from our homes to the ocean. A modern-day scourge that is blighting remote beaches and shorelines, getting mistaken for food by wildlife, and getting into the foods that nourish us. Whether it’s the structural features of plastic products that suffocate, entangle, or create intestinal blockages – or the endocrine disrupting-contaminants that serve as ingredients of the product (e.g. Bisphenol A or phthalate esters) or as hitchhikers soaked up by plastics in the environment (e.g. PCBs or metals) – plastics are harmful.

Underwater photo of plastic floating near the top of the water.

Chinook salmon swim in a river as seen from head on; epic. — Photo by Fernando Lessa.

The impact on the environment

Without a dramatic re-think, the plastic crisis is here to stay. Despite the best intentions of governments, industry, and consumers to reduce, recycle or re-use, global plastic production continues to enjoy exponential growth. And the unintentional loss to the environment of plastic products and byproducts will continue – plastic bags, bottles, and fishing gear, as well as the discharge of microplastics through domestic and industrial waste. With that will come a constant stream of items that will be mistaken for food but offer zero nutrition, that will entangle wildlife, and will deliver endocrine disruptors to our aquatic food webs. We will document impacts, share findings, and work for change through science, community engagement, and expert advice.