<\/p>\n
![\"Where](\"https:\/\/cortescurrents.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-12-at-6.55.09-AM-523x600.png\")
Adapted from Google maps by Roy L Hales<\/p><\/div> Abby McLennan from Lets Talk Trash \u2013 submitted photo<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \u201cA resident, who spends a lot of time on his boat, contacted the Regional District and asked. \u2018If residents are out on their boats and we see debris is there not a way that we could pick it up and bring it in for free disposal to\u00a0Augusta<\/a> \u2013\u00a0 which is where we bring our waste in Powell River. From that one little letter, that one resident wrote, my manager at the Regional District put forward a proposal to the elected Board of Directors for a shoreline clean-up initiative,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n This led to annual clean-ups on\u00a0Lasqueti<\/a>,\u00a0Texada\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0Savary Island<\/a>s.<\/p>\n Harwood Island was added to the list in 2018.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year Hernando, which is just north of Savary Island and pretty close to you guys on\u00a0Cortes<\/a>, got on board. They circumvented their entire island and, since it has never been cleaned before, brought a massive load of debris.\u201d<\/p>\n There are smaller annual clean-ups in Mainland\u00a0Powell River<\/a>, hitting any south facing bay.<\/p>\n \u201cOur first year, most everything went straight into landfill. Then we became aware of the Ocean Legacy Foundation, which is a really great clean-up organization that also delves into education, infrastructure, policy and advocacy. They wanted to go one step better than just picking up marine debris and disposing it into landfill,\u201d explained McLennan.<\/p>\n Most recyclers do not want to work with ocean plastics because they are degraded, due to their long exposure to the elements, and covered with salt water.<\/p>\n The Ocean Legacy Foundation developed partnerships with recyclers in the Lower Mainland, who are willing to work with ocean plastics.<\/p>\n McLennan says that 90% of the debris from the District\u2019s beach clean-up can be turned over to the Ocean Legacy Foundation.<\/p>\n BC\u2019s first Ocean Plastic depot, which opened up in Powell River last month, is a joint project of the Ocean Legacy Foundation and\u00a0qathet Regional District<\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n This concludes a series of two interviews with\u00a0Abby McLennan from\u00a0Let\u2019s Talk Trash\u00a0in Powell River. Let\u2019s Talk Trash is both an hour long monthly radio program broadcast over\u00a0Power River Community Radio, CJMP 90.1 FM<\/a>, and, since 2011, also the\u00a0qathet Regional District\u2019s Waste Reduction Education Program.<\/p>\n The\u00a0quathet Regional District<\/a>\u00a0stretches from the ferry terminal at Saltry Bay, north along the coast to Toba Inlet. Hernando, Texada, Savary, and Lasqueti islands are all within its boundaries. More than\u00a065% of the inhabitants live in Powell River<\/a>\u00a0(2016 pop: 13,157).<\/p>\n![\"Abby](\"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/download-1-343x500.jpg\")
<\/a>How the beach clean-ups began<\/h2>\n
Which beaches do they clean?<\/h2>\n
What do they do with the debris?<\/h2>\n
Lets Talk Trash<\/h2>\n
quathet Regional District<\/h2>\n
![\"Map](\"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/qRD-Map.png\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cortescurrents.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-06-at-3.09.37-AM.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n