Ocean Cleanups

qathet Regional District Ocean Plastic Depot is here!

A partnership between the qathet Regional District and the Ocean Legacy Foundation with funding from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has allowed for the creation of BC’s first dedicated recycling depot for plastic marine debris.  The Ocean Plastic Depot provides a designated location for marine debris to be properly contained and select items recycled.  Material from this depot will be transported the Ocean Legacy’s Marine Debris Sorting Facility in the Steveston Harbour located in Richmond, BC where materials will be processed.

“Ocean Legacy is excited to launch this opportunity with the Alberni-Clayoquot and qathet Regional Districts to reduce the pollution in our coastal communities and protect our precious marine environments. This development will provide critical infrastructure to capture plastic wastes, divert them from landfill and responsibly recycle items to not only support innovative technologies but further implement pragmatic solutions to grow the Canadian plastic circular economy.”
– Chloé Dubois, President and co-founder of Ocean Legacy Foundation

Want to get involved in a cleanup or conduct one yourself? 

It’s easy! Contact Let’s Talk Trash (info@letstalktrash.ca, 604.485.2260 ext 308) to get involved.  All new users require a depot orientation to gain access to the depot.  Contact us to get a copy of our depot guide or check out the quick reference below to find out what items and material can be collected separately for recycling.

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Marine debris continues to litter our coastlines. More than 100,000 marine mammals die each year due to plastic ingestion or entanglement. If you’re keen to help clean it up we can support your efforts!   You can choose to organize a clean up event or simply go out yourself on any occasion.

We work with The Ocean Legacy Foundation to reuse and recycle as much marine material as possible.  Funding is available to cover the costs of transporting materials to the lower mainland for recycling, any landfilling and possible fuel costs associated with clean up efforts.  Contact us to find out more!

THANK YOU to all volunteers and event coordinators for past beach clean ups!  Here’s to another season of big cleanup efforts to keep our coastline plastic free!