BC Marine Trails collected 3,770 pounds of debris on an island off the west coast of Vancouver Island as part of its annual cleanup.
Volunteers collected the debris, which included 513 discarded water bottles, between May 27-31 on Vargas Island, according to a news release.
“Vargas Island offers a powerful lesson on marine debris. When you first arrive at a remote beach like Ahous Bay, it appears pristine,” says Sam Cutcliffe, communications and stewardship coordinator for BC Marine Trail. “However, collecting five super sacks of debris in a single day reveals how pervasive and hidden the problem truly is. Spotting one washed up water bottle often means there are hundreds more hidden along the shore.”
Members of the Surfrider Pacific Rim and Surfrider South Vancouver Island executive teams joined the effort at Dick & Jane’s Beach joined the cleanup on May 30. Residents of Vargas Island also staged their own cleanup on June 1 on the island’s east side.
A landing craft took the collected debris off the island and 2,823 pounds was sorted for recycling. It was taken to the Ocean Legacy Depot in Ucluelet for processing.
BC Marine Trails says the effort is part of Ocean Week Canada from June 1-8 and it highlights the value of community-led stewardship to protect marine environments.
