A new plastic recycling depot has launched on Vancouver Island with the goal of ending ocean plastic pollution.
The Ocean Legacy Foundation, a Canadian non-profit that develops and implements worldwide plastic pollution response programs, has partnered with the Regional District of Mount Waddington to open a new Ocean Plastic Depot at 7 Mile Landfill and Recycling Centre.
Located on Highway 19 between Port McNeill and Port Alice junction, the 7 Mile Ocean Plastic Depot accepts materials such as abandoned, lost, discarded fishing gear (“ALDFG”), marine debris, and equipment including netting and rope, polystyrene foam (styrofoam), hard plastic and select buoys.
“We are really excited about our partnership with Ocean Legacy and the creation of the Ocean Plastics Depot at 7-Mile Landfill,” said Andrew Hory, Chair of the Regional District of Mount Waddington.
“This program enables the RDMW to build on our collection and recycling efforts by adding ocean plastics to the list. Removing plastic wastes from our oceans and shorelines, then collecting them locally, directly benefits the environmental health of our community,” said Hory.
Materials collected at the depot will be sent to the Ocean Legacy processing facility at Steveston Harbour, where it is further sorted, cleaned, and recycled.
The 7 Mile Ocean Plastics Depot will be the fourth depot of its kind in British Columbia, with others located in Powell River, Ucluelet, and Cumberland and developments underway in Prince Rupert and the Lower Sunshine Coast.
