Islanders clean up tonnes of marine debris in qathet waters

Savary Island is 7.5 kilometres long and around one kilometre across at its widest point. It is home to approximately 100 people year-round. That number balloons in the summer due the island's white sandy beaches and relatively warm waters.

Each year a large community shoreline cleanup event takes place to remove marine debris from beaches that washes ashore during winter storm season, before the busy summer season arrives.

A substantial amount of debris is collected, predominantly plastic. A majority of the plastics and styrofoam come from surrounding industries, including fishing boats and oyster and geoduck farms. 

This year's cleanup was organized by Catherine Ostler, who is part of the nonprofit organization Fishing for Plastic. In 2021, more than 5,000 pounds of debris was removed from Savary and taken to a facility in the Lower Mainland.

Ostler began living full time on the island a few years ago and until then, thought of Savary as pristine. She hadn't realized just how much debris was washing up on the beaches until taking a closer look. Others before her had taken on the challenge of picking up debris and organizing cleanups but last summer she started a pilot project. 

"We started to put out oyster baskets, which come in on the tide, and we put them at trailheads," said Olster. "People have been leaving their debris in these baskets and then we have what we call trailhead stewards."

Olster said trailhead stewards’ names are posted on the basket so if there is an issue they can be contacted. One problem that may be a concern, she added, is if folks start putting household waste or food waste and garbage in the baskets. 

Savary is very much off-the-grid and people visiting need to be mindful of any garbage they produce. Plastics and garbage need to be barged off the island and visitors are warned to pack out what they pack in.

"Stewards have been involved in beach cleanups, prioritizing plastic and styrofoam debris," said Olster. "We collect a lot of stuff throughout winter so it's hard to tell how many people are involved; anyone picking up debris can drop it off in the baskets."

Around 100 people came out for the community cleanup over the May long weekend.

"We prioritized plastic and styrofoam and plastic fragments," said Olster. "Styrofoam is a huge problem, and expanded polystyrene."

In November of 2021, Olster said a massive dock landed on Savary shores. They finally got it off the island but had to barge out 50 tires and sacks full of white expanded polystyrene.

"This prompted me to start a petition with the support of [North Island-Powell River MP] Rachel Blaney," said Olster. " We are petitioning the government for a ban on this type of styrofoam found in floating docks."

The Peak reported in May of last year that Blaney sent a letter to Steven Guilbeault, federal minister of environment and climate change. Blaney pointed out that Washington State passed and signed a bill to ban the use of foam in its waters as of June 1, 2024.

“The House [of Commons] has recognized that expanded polystyrene can have harmful effects on the marine environment, and it is critical we stop pollution at its source,” Blaney wrote to the minister. “Our nearest neighbours have taken action on removing foam from their waters, which raises the question of why Canada has not taken action and, further, has no intention of taking action.”

Savary isn't the only island with trash problems. In April of this year, the Peak reported that qathet Regional District’s (qRD) board is considering providing a letter of support to Let’s Talk Trash and the Ocean Legacy Foundation for a 2024 BC Clean Coast Clean Waters Initiative application to conduct shoreline cleanup efforts within the region.

“Over the past three years, over 150,000 kilograms of marine debris has been removed from shorelines within and throughout the qathet region,” stated Let’s Talk Trash team member and shoreline cleanup project manager Abby McLennan, in her correspondence to the board.

Olster said her group is now finding smaller and smaller pieces of expanded polystyrene, and that it breaks down into tiny nurdles.

"But it's still a lot of the same stuff from the shellfish industry,” she added.” Stuff like broken oyster trays, buckets and PVC pipes that's used in geoduck duck farming." 

Olster said [people of Savary] are also finding tons of rope from fishing vessels or recreational vehicles, and not necessarily personal litter. Studies have recently found that what has been deemed microplastics (five millimetres across) are everywhere, including inside the human body, and that they are potentially harmful.

"We are becoming more and more aware of the horrors of microplastics getting into the ecosystem and into our bodies," said Olster. "All the animals in the sea are eating little tiny microplastics and there have been some studies that prove when you get it off the beach, you're also getting it out of the ocean, and the air." 

Olster believes the sooner people can get all that stuff out of the environment, the more microplastics we keep out of our ecosystem. 

"The perception of islanders is that the beaches are getting marginally cleaner," said Olster. "Part of that is because of the year-round cleanup, people are always picking stuff up."

Olster said one thing she learned with this recent cleanup event is that every year, new people come by and they're interested in helping.

“What we're doing here is developing a real beach-cleaning culture,” she added. “It's [picking up debris] becoming normalized.”

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