A service project done in collaboration Ottawa Riverkeeper
What are drain socks?
How can they help us control plastic pollution in cities and keep our watersheds clean?
We all know that plastic pollution in our oceans is a problem
what are the solutions?
It is well known that plastic pollution is an issue around the world and within the Ottawa river watershed. About 8 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans each year, and about 80 percent of that plastic originates from land-based sources.
Each year, humans add upwards of 4.8 million tonnes to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic debris to oceans. Canadian sources are reportedly responsible for upwards of 29,000 tonnes of that. Banning single use plastics (and eventually all plastics) is the most important step to end plastic pollution, but what about the plastic waste that is already in our watersheds? Shoreline cleanups are helpful, but they fail to address the flow of plastic waste from cities into waterways via storm drain systems.
Drain socks and other litter trap systems are an affordable, practical, safe, upstream solution to plastic pollution, and municipalities around the world have adopted them as standard practice.
Email your councillor
Help keep our watershed clean
Download the email template & take five minutes to tell them you want to keep our watershed clean and prevent plastics from reaching the ocean.
Letter Template
Modèle de lettre
If you don't know who your councillor is
Click on your city to find them!
About
Hi! My name is Ana. Over the past 6 months, I have been part of Ottawa Riverkeeper’s Youth Water Leaders Program.
Being part of the Youth Water Leaders program and having the opportunity to create a service project with the support of Ottawa Riverkeeper made me realize the importance of focusing on practical, local solutions.
It’s so easy to become overwhelmed by the extent of the work that needs to be done to protect our environment. It’s especially easy to feel like we don’t have agency in changing the systemic issues that are the cause of so much environmental destruction and pollution.
I was inspired to focus on aquatic plastic pollution and specifically drain socks for my service project after reading about a city in Australia that created drain socks to prevent plastic waste from contaminating a local wildlife reserve. After an incredibly successful pilot project at 3 locations in 2018, capturing 370 kilograms of trash in three months, the city adopted drain socks as standard practice.
I believe this is a no-brainer solution for Canadian municipalities to start implementing, and it can only happen if people tell their cities this is what we want.
curious to learn more?
Explore these resources on plastic pollution in Canada and around the world, and the solutions we can implement to make our rivers and oceans safer for everyone.
Created in collaboration with, and
Funded by
Want To get involved?
Get in touch if your have any questions about this project, or getting involved in water protection.
