The non-profit organization, Georgian Bay Forever, continues to work to safeguard the water in Georgian Bay.
Communications Director Laura Thipphawong said they focus specifically on scientific research in regards to the water itself. She added the organization uses those findings to create awareness and come up with solutions.
She explained plastic fibers and plastic-coated chemically treated natural fibers from clothes in washing machines are the number one source of plastic pollution in the bay.
“So because it’s so small, fish end up eating it. Birds end up eating it. It ends up actually in the air when there’s humidity. It leaches into the soil and it gets into our drinking water because water filtration plants can’t collect that small of particles,” she explained.
“This year the big push was to get free microfiber filters into wash machines of over 300 home owners in the Georgian Bay area and that was a big success this year,” she said. “Already we’ve collected 32 kilograms of microfiber waste in three collections and we have four collections scheduled to take place in March of 2023. All of that sludge is filled with microparticles. Some of it is microscopic, and others the size of maybe an eyelash or a thread. And all of that is actually made of of plastic, chemically treated natural fibers that get into the water in the zillions.”
“We definitely campaigned for bills to pass that are going to be introduced in the coming years, where new washing machines will have these filters on them. But there’s still a lot of work to do to get these wide spread,” she pointed out.
Thipphawong said the organization is also working to capture garbage to keep it from the water. They installed sea bins, which catch about 1.4 tons of floating debris and pollution per year, including microplastics as small as 2 mm. Another system called Gutter Bins features large filtering systems to capture litter from the streets before it has a chance to enter the drainage pipes that flow into lakes. Trash traps are large-scale sturdy nets that stop any litter that has entered the drainage system and keeps that pollution from entering into the bay.
So far their efforts have seen 26,000 pieces of garbage removed from the bay, and another 1,800 pounds of litter was removed.
Thipphawong added that their multi-year Trash Tracking Project will help them find out how and where trash is dispersed, providing the data needed to divert it. They have added GPS marked bottles to Georgian Bay so they can track where they end up. This will help them track the path of trash in the Bay, so they can create a plan to tackle it.
Shoreline Cleanups are helping to stop macroplastics from becoming microplastics in the bay. Volunteers helped with 33 shoreline cleanups in the southeast Georgian Bay area during the summer of 2022. Through those events, approximately 880 pounds of litter was collected from the shores.
Their Plastic Free Georgian Bay initiative aims to form a network of local businesses dedicated to reducing or eliminating the use of single-use plastic.
She said globally, cigarette butts are the biggest source of on land plastic pollution.
Microfibre collection and classification. Photo taken by Georgian Bay Forever
