Capture and Cleanup
Stormwater Filtration System Grant
Our understanding of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes and our environment, and its impacts on wildlife and human health, is improving. But, as we learn more, what we know is concerning. Open water sampling, for example, shows that in areas of the Great Lakes, concentrations of microplastics have reached as high as 1.25 million particles per square kilometer, levels on par with what is found in the ocean’s garbage patches. And, most of the items collected during beach and waterway clean-ups every year are plastic. Here are some of the collaborative partnerships and projects we are forming, and working with, to tackle this challenge.
Plastic litter can end up in the environment through different pathways, and stormwater drains could be a big source, especially in places with large populations.
Thanks to funding from the Dart Container Corporation to the Council of the Great Lakes Region, we are offering a grant to help communities purchase, install, and monitor innovative stormwater filtration systems.
When in place, these devices, such as the LittaTrap™ and the Gutter Bin,® help prevent land-based plastic litter, oil, and sediment from entering our waterways and ultimately the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup
The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, run by the binational Council of the Great Lakes Region and Pollution Probe in Canada, is a first-of-its-kind initiative using innovative litter capture technologies to remove plastics from beaches and waterways, from Lake Ontario to Lake Superior and everywhere in between.
The plastic litter collected is analyzed to learn more about local trends; valuable plastic materials are recovered and redirected back into the recycling system, creating reuse opportunities; and, coastal communities are engaged in critical conversations about how to stop plastic waste and pollution.
Together, we are working to protect our environment and the Great Lakes, now and for future generations.