Ocean Plastics Depot

 

Marine debris collected through beach clean ups can be diverted from being buried through the newly established ocean plastics depot, at the Sechelt Landfill.

Items like beach foam, netting and ocean plastics will be transported for recycling through a partnership with the Ocean Legacy Foundation.

The depot is available to small scale shoreline clean ups by residents or community groups. Sign up and attend an orientation before doing a clean up as only depot members are allowed to use the depot.

Larger scale residential, commercial or industrial dock renovations and end of life materials will not be accepted at the depot and should contact Ocean Legacy directly.

How does it Work?

  1. A short orientation is required to use the depot for the first time, register by emailing infrastructure@scrd.ca.
  2. Review this information before your orientation.
  3. After the orientation, anytime the landfill is open, bring collected marine debris to the depot at no charge.
  4. Materials are transported to the Ocean Legacy Foundation for recycling. Learn what happens to collected plastics.
  5. Be on the look out for biofouling. Significant amounts on a piece will need to be removed before it’s brought to the depot. Check out this guide.

If you find items that are not accepted at the ocean plastics depot, while cleaning up a site, contact Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) staff about the Good Samaritan Program at infrastructure@scrd.ca before going to the depot.

For more resources regarding marine debris check out the resources available from Átl’ka7tsem / Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society  https://www.howesoundbri.org/tools-resources.