The Rotary Club of Meaford and Richardson Boats have recently 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 taking action on the plastics pollution problem in our Great Lakes.
A SeaBin “trash skimmer” has been installed at Richardson’s Marina and will be 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.
The SeaBin is also able to extract contaminated organic material (leaves, seaweed, etc). It contains an oil absorbent pad that absorbs petroleum-based surface oils and detergents.
Regular reports on what is removed from the filter by Rotarians will be forwarded through GLPC to the University of Toronto Trash Team where it will be added to the data collected by volunteers from around the Great Lakes.
This information will inform policy-makers about effective solutions to prevent litter, including both upstream and downstream. The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup organization depends on the sponsorship of organizations to support their work. The Meaford GLPC SeaBin installation is sponsored by Trans Canada Energy and the Ontario Pumped Storage project.
