What do skateboard wheels, a crack pipe, tea lights, plastic cutlery, and Band-Aids have in common?
They were collected by us Hot Tomalians at English Bay Beach as part of the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup on Sept 15.
Aaah, I know… the things we get up to! This is the second year in a row Hot Tomali has participated in the Shoreline Cleanup. We were choked when the lovely summery weather we’d been enjoying abruptly departed and the rains came the moment we met up. But in the end it didn’t dampen our spirits. Armed with garbage pickers and donning lovely yellow vests, our crew — including our accountant and his wife — took to the beach and got to work. Two hours later, this is what the dozen or so of us managed to collect:
- Bags (Paper): 83
- Bags (Plastic): 101
- Balloons: 7
- Beverage Bottles (Plastic): 26
- Glass Beverage Bottles: 37
- Beverage Cans: 13
- Caps, Lids: 146
- Clothing, Shoes: 16
- Cups, Plates, Forks, Knives, Spoons: 89
- Food Wrappers/Containers: 327
- Pull Tabs: 14
- 6-Pack Holders: 7
- Straws, Stirrers: 55
- Toys: 4
- Pallets: 1
- Rope: 7
- Strapping Bands: 7
- Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters: 1,966
- Cigarette Lighters: 6
- Cigar Tips: 1
- Tobacco Packaging/Wrappers: 8
- Batteries: 1
- Building Materials: 6
- Tires: 1
- Car Parts: 1
- Tampons: 1
- Band-Aids: 4
- Crack Pipe: 1
- Skateboard Wheels: 40
- Gum: 4
- Tea Lights: 30
- Plastic Ruler: 1
- Belt: 1
In 2010, Shoreline Cleanup participants collectively picked up over 200,000 butts, covered a total distance of 2,235 km, and picked up 98,071 kg of litter. The biggest culprits? Cigarette butts, food wrappers, plastic bags, lids, and disposable plates and cutlery.
It feels good to know we were a part of that success. This year we collected twice the amount of cigarette butts from last year: almost 2,000! There’s no two buts about it: we did our part to help the environment and keep English Bay Beach looking beautiful.
