THUNDER BAY – EcoSuperior is introducing a new way to keep plastics out of the water to the city.
Thanks to nearly $45,000 in funding from the Ontario government, EcoSuperior will be installing a number of LittaTraps throughout the city with the intent of reducing the amount of plastics being washed into Lake Superior through storm drains.
“The litter trap is essentially a mesh bag that sits in a storm drain and it passively filters out pollutants from storm water runoff,” said Kennedy Bucci, rethink waste coordinator at EcoSuperior.
“Stuff like cigarette butts, single use plastics, any litter that you might see out in the environment when there's a big rain or spring snow melt, all of that water filters through the storm drains and goes directly into Lake Superior. With these contraptions, we actually can filter out the pollutants before they reach the lake.”
The traps will be placed strategically near city parks, waterfront areas, and parking lots. The traps will need to be manually monitored and emptied once they are full.
The funding from the project comes from 2023 Ontario Community Environment Fund, which uses environmental penalties paid by polluters to support locally- driven activities that protect and restore areas impacted by pollution.
“You can't speak enough about how important it is for a government to be involved in the protection of the environment, and our government has taken that very seriously,” said Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland.
Holland said initiatives like this are an easy way to help the environment and that the investment was made with money paid in fines levied against people who break environmental laws.
“Investing that money back into organizations that are working to protect our environment is key to making sure that we're putting the safeguards in place to protect the environment, not just for now, but for future generations.”
As part of this project, EcoSuperior will be compiling a comprehensive report for the city to help come u[p with solutions to local plastic waste.
