Our new plastic-fighting neighbours

Today we attended the Ocean Legacy Foundation‘s grand opening event in their new home in Steveston. The OLF’s new sorting and processing centre is located just next door at the Steveston Harbour Authority property off Chatham Street. We learned through opening speeches by OLF Executive Director and Co-Founder Chloe Dubois, Randy Burke of the Small Ships Tour Operators Association, and Steveston Harbour Authority’s Robert Kiesman, about the massive task of plastic pollution removal from our west coast shores, and how the debris is collected and recycled to create quality new goods.

It was shocking to see the massive piles of collected materials placed around the facility — huge bales of fishing nets, floats, and other marine debris ready to be processed into tiny plastic pellets. These pellets help keep waste out of landfills and reduce the need to produce raw virgin plastic. Samples like this jar of green pellets (made from rope collected in Tofino) were given to today’s guests.

glass jar full of green pellets
Recycled plastic pellets made from rope collected in Tofino

We look forward to following the work of our new neighbours. Their presence is a reminder that we must work together to ensure the future sustainability of the commercial fishing industry.