Shoreline Cleanup
Know Before
From cigarette butts to large pieces of blown construction material, garbage along the shores of Twelve Mile Creek comes from many sources. Some individual or industrial litter may be intentional, although often it may be unintended. Over time plastics break down into fragments and may enter the food chain when consumed by animals. Litter may entangle wildlife or take away from recreational enjoyment of beautiful Twelve Mile Creek. Shoreline cleanups can be as easy as taking a garbage bag along when going for a walk or can be larger community events.
Data on the trash items collected can contribute to a substantial Citizen Science resource. The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup supports volunteers to coordinate cleanup events and uses a national litter database to track results, which may inform future policy decisions.
Get Out The Door
Register an account on shorelinecleanup.org. Set a location, date and time for a cleanup as an individual, household, or group.
Conduct clean-up, being cautious of potentially hazardous materials and collecting sharp materials in a specialized rigid container. A rigid bleach bottle could work. Do not collect anything that appears unsafe as these items may be reported to the non-emergency number for the local police.
Sort items collected using the categories on the data card and tally the results. Using a large tarp and several sorting bins can make this easier to manage.
Use spring scale to weigh the waste. If it’s in a bucket or other container, subtract the weight of the container to obtain the weight of the waste collected.
Recycle what you can and dispose of non-recyclables appropriately.
Think Some More
From the tally lists, which items were most abundant?
What was the most unusual item collected?
From the items collected, what are some possible sources for the litter?
Are there some possible solutions that could be considered to reduce shoreline litter?
Are garbage or recycle containers located near the cleanup area. Are they securely covered?
Materials:
Plastic bags or buckets
gloves
grabber tool
tarp
spring scale (fish scale)
sharps container
data card
