Meaford Cleanup
Around the world, Rotarians contribute some 47 million volunteer hours each year. Protecting the environment is one of Rotary International’s key goals. Some of those hours go to help our beleaguered planet. The Rotary Club of Meaford wants to do its part.
Meaford’s annual Baggy Day took place on Saturday, May 10. You may have seen the many volunteers picking up trash and putting it into garbage bags. The good news is that there seemed to be less litter to pick up this year. The bad news is that there is still way too much. Over 60 volunteers collected more than a ton and a half, or 680 kilograms, of trash, enough to fill two large commercial disposal bins. The amount of plastic collected is worrisome: fast food containers, drinking cups, plastic straws, plastic sheets and tarps. “Some of the plastic I picked up crumbled in my hand,” one of the volunteers said. “The stuff breaks down into micro plastic, tiny particles that stay in the environment. Birds, animals---and people---ingest this stuff. Is this the legacy we want to leave for our children? We have to do better.”
Trash also finds its way into our rivers, lakes and streams. According to the Rochester Institute of Technology, every year more than 22 million pounds, or 10 million kilograms, of plastic pollution end up in the Great Lakes. Eighty-six percent of the litter collected on Great Lakes beaches is composed either partially or fully of plastic, according to a new report released by the Alliance for the Great Lakes.
Is there anything to be done? dIn July, 2022, The Meaford Independent reported that The Rotary Club of Meaford and Richardson Boats have partnered with the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup (GLPC) in a project to remove plastics from our local waterway and to participate in a campaign that brings together partners from across Canada. A SeaBin “trash skimmer” has been installed at Richardson’s Marina and is monitored by Rotarians throughout the summer and fall. The SeaBin unit acts as a floating garbage can, skimming the surface of the water by pumping water into the device. The SeaBin collects floating debris, macro and micro plastics and even microfibres, with an additional filter. As well as removing trash, our SeaBin collects data that characterizes plastics trapped in the bin. Results are recorded on a data sheet and sent to The University of Toronto, which is coordinating the project.
Three years later, we wish we could say that the problem has been solved. Unfortunately, our shoreline and waters are still inundated with cigarette butts, food wrappers, plastic bottles and caps, beverage cans, foam and plastic packaging, straws and stirrers, plastic bags and plastic lids. The statistics are alarming and the challenge is big. But if we all pitch in, we can make a difference. If you see plastic lying around, on the ground or in the water, pick it up and dispose of it properly. Let’s make every day Baggy Day!
The Rotary Club of Meaford works in other ways to help protect the environment. Readers are welcome to contact us through our website (https://www.meafordrotary.ca) for more information.