It’s one of the most horrendous scenes John Buchanan has seen in Howe Sound.
Hundreds of plastic drinking bottles, oil cans, Styrofoam from docks and even a “Happy Birthday” balloon clogged a beach on the northeast side of Anvil Island.
“It looked like something you would expect to see on the West Coast,” the long-time Squamish resident and environmental advocate said. “This is the worst that I have come across. Some of that stuff had been there for decades.”
Last week marked Squamish’s fourth year the community participated in the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. On Wednesday, Sept. 24, residents came out with garbage bags in hand to rid Squamish’s shoreline of trash.
Buchanan took the mission a step further, venturing up Howe Sound. But what he found required more help. On Saturday, Sept. 27, he headed back out with a team to clear the Anvil beach of junk.
“The beaches that are not used a lot by people don’t get cleaned up,” Buchanan said. “But all that stuff, the tiny Styrofoam balls, get into the eco system.”
The team gathered so much Styrofoam that it filled Buchanan’s pickup truck. The bulk of the material was taller than the truck’s cab. Buchanan said he would like to lobby the government to ban Styrofoam from dock construction. More environmentally friendly methods wrap the Styrofoam in plastic or a hard material that prevent it from breaking free, Buchanan said.
The District of Squamish pitched in, waiving dump fees for the materials gathered during the clean up, Buchanan noted. Next on his cleanup list is McNab Creek, Buchanan said.
The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is a joint initiative between the Vancouver Aquarium and the World Wildlife Federation.
Last year, 10,891 garbage bags full of material was collected. For more on the initiative visit ShorelineCleanup.ca.
