THE (DATA) STORY SO FAR
Analyses of the litter collected in the capture and cleanup devices installed at our network of participant sites across the Canadian side of the Great Lakes
The Bits & Pieces
Our waste characterization team sorts found debris into these categories:
Small Foam Pieces
Small Film Pieces
Small Hard Fragments
Small Pellets
Large Foam Pieces
Large Film Pieces
Large Cans
Large Fragments
Large Food Wrappers
Cigarette Butts
2020 Findings
Catch of the Day
Each Seabin and LittaTrap™ collects a slightly different quantity of debris each day, depending on a wide range of factors including the location of the marina it is installed at, weather conditions, and more. Here's how our devices did on average across all our participating sites.
Remember - this data is
PER DEVICE, PER DAY!
The longer the devices stay in the water, the more plastic they collect. We have also been finding lots of small hard fragments, foam and film (both of which are very light), so the overall weight of the catch is much smaller than you might think.
Lake By Lake
The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup is collecting plastic from all across the Canadian side of the Great Lakes (check out our site network here!) As we collect more and more data, we'll be building up an increasingly detailed 'plastic profile' of each of the lakes, mapping trends for the different types and relative amounts of plastic in each.
Hover over the name of a lake to find out the top three types of litter we've found at our sites there this season!
Lake Superior
Lake Huron
Lake Ontario
By Marina
Click on the name of a marina to learn more about the litter we've found there!