What is the Toronto Inner Harbour Floatables Strategy?
The Toronto Inner Harbour Floatables Strategy (Floatables Strategy) is a collaborative strategy with a mission to reduce plastic pollution and other floating litter in the harbour. It is a collaboration between the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority the Toronto Remedial Action Plan, University of Toronto Trash Team, PortsToronto, City of Toronto, Swim Drink Fish, Waterfront Business Improvement Area, Harbourfront Centre, and Waterfront Toronto.
The program started by testing different trash capture devices in the Toronto Inner Harbour and developing standardized protocols to quantify and characterize litter in devices. This effort continues, helping to identify the most common large and small items that litter our waterways.
2024 Trash Trapping Results
The results from the 2024 Trash Trapping season have just been released. 642kg of anthropogenic litter was collected from Toronto waterways using trash trapping devices such as Seabins, LittaTraps, WasteSharks, Litter Booms, and skimming by hand.
Upstream Pollution Prevention Projects
As part of this collaborative effort of the Floatables Strategy, Partners in Project Green is proud to have supported four incredible research projects by the University of Toronto Trash Team (Trash Team), in collaboration with the Rochman Lab, to address pressing questions related to plastic pollution. Projects were carried out using solutions-based research methods to inform the prevention of plastic pollution upstream, each focused on a specific source.
Wipes vs. Pipes
Since most wet wipes are made of plastic, when they are flushed and end up in our streams, creeks, and rivers, they can cause unintended consequences on the environment. Find out about the problem of wet wipes pollution and what policy recommendations came from this research.
In Pursuit of Polystyrene
Common sources of polystyrene pollution include takeout containers, product packaging, and construction sites, which often end up littering Toronto streets and beaches. Find out more about the findings of this research and the pollution prevention strategies proposed.
Ditching Disposables
Accompanying the City of Toronto’s Single-Use and Takeaway Items Reduction Strategy to reduce plastic waste, this project assessed the challenges and opportunities to implementing reusable takeout container programs. Find out about lessons learned on implementing Bring Your Own (BYO) options and offering reusable takeout programs at local Toronto restaurants.
Operation Sweep the Creek
Pre-production plastics pellets are typically characterized by their distinct spherical/cylindrical shape and small size (2-5mm) and are the foundation of everyday plastic products. Pellets are often lost in the environment during business operations and carried into nearby waterways. Learn more about the problem of plastic pellets and how the Trash Team is stopping pollution at the source.
Want to Get Involved?
For more information on how to take action on floatable litter, contact Darlene.Coyle@trca.ca