The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup

An estimated 10 million kg of plastic flows into the Great Lakes annually from a variety of sources and via different pathways, including littering and ineffective waste diversion. Microplastics have been found in surface water, sediment, and wildlife in and around the lakes with levels reaching as high as 1.25 million particles per km2 in surface waters; a concentration on par with what is found in the ocean’s garbage patches. A suite of coordinated actions is required to address the systemic causes of plastic pollution and to understand its impacts on our critical freshwater ecosystems. This chapter introduces the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, an initiative of Pollution Probe and the Council of the Great Lakes Region. With support from a network of collaborators, the initiative aims to address plastic pollution through the use of innovative plastic capture technologies that collect plastic before it enters the lakes and clean up the waste that has already found its way there. The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup uniquely combines a focus on removing plastic from the environment through community outreach and engagement and applying a collection of locally-relevant data to further inform regulatory and policy decisions. Initial data and program strategies are presented in the context of exploring how to effectively address plastic waste in society and the environment and identify areas for further research and action related to plastic waste and pollution prevention.