Debris collected on North Coast and Cape Scott trails. Photo courtesy Living Oceans Society.
Living Oceans Society credits North Islanders in helping to remove nearly 10 tonnes of debris from the North Coast and Cape Scott trails.
The effort took place this summer as part of the Clear the Coast campaign, removing debris generated by the Tohoku Tsunami in Japan in 2011.
The debris is being trucked to 7-mile Landfill in Port MacNeill for sorting and recycling where space to work and landfill fees have been donated.
“This summer’s cleanup efforts would not have been possible without the help of so many North Islanders,” Living Oceans Executive Director Karen Wristen said.
“I especially want to thank North Coast Trail Shuttle and Cape Scott Water Taxi. Babe and George helped us to set up marine debris collection stations at a number of beaches along the North Coast Trail and they put out the word to their hiking clients who responded by filling all of the debris stations to capacity.”
The cost of transporting the debris is shared between Living Oceans and B.C. Marine Trails Network Association.
The BCMTNA cleaned four beaches north of Brooks Peninsula and provided volunteers to assist with heli-lifts.
Japan provided $1-million grant to deal with the floatsam, but the funding ran out in 2016 when groups working from the fund combined to send 40-tonnes of debris from Vancouver Island to the mainland for recycling.
“This year, we received our main support from Sitka Foundation and our own donors,” Wristen said.
“We are so very grateful that they continue to see the value in restoring foreshore habitat.”
Living Oceans says nearly a third of the debris collected is from post-consumer plastics such as water and pop bottles.
Andy Neal
