For the past 15 years, the Vancouver Island chapter of Surfrider Foundation Canada has been tirelessly cleaning South Island beaches with the help of its volunteers.
Katie Keats, the non-profit’s beach clean-up manager, stated that even a small effort can significantly reduce pollution in the province’s coastal waters.
“We're a volunteer network that focuses on marine conservation issues through advocacy and volunteering,” said Keats. “We do clean-up events from Island View Beach all the way up to Port Renfrew."
According to their website, the non-profit and its volunteers removed more than 7,000 pounds of garbage from the South Island’s shoreline in 2018 alone.
On the second Sunday of each month, all year round, Keats mentioned that dozens of people gather at the shoreline of a designated beach, giving two hours of their day to collecting litter accumulated over time.
“Folks will clean up any form of debris, cigarette butts, plastic containers, you name it, and bring it back to our sorting station where we categorize and weigh everything that we collect,” explained Keats.
For September, the beach cleanup took place at the Esquimalt Lagoon Beach, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sitting on a log, carefully sifting through sand in search of glass shards was Mclean Kay, who lives within walking distance from the beach.
Being his first beach clean-up with Surfrider Foundation Canada, Kay decided to participate in this event after hearing about it from his neighbours. After half an hour, the man had already collected a substantial amount of trash in his five-gallon plastic bucket.
“We come to the beach all the time and… we just wanted to help,” said Kay. “I've got a nine-year-old and I don't want him playing here and cutting himself up.”
Though cleaning up garbage might seem like an unglamorous task at first, Kay expressed a genuine sense of pride and enjoyment in participating in this two-hour-long event.
“We all need to do a better job of taking care of the places we love to go,” said Kay. “And doing this is kind of fun! It's much more fun than I would have guessed. It's kind of like prospecting for gold.”
For all community members interested in participating in the next beach clean-up, Keats mentioned that the event will be held at Songhees Park in Victoria West on September 8, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
For more information about Surfrider Foundation Canada, including volunteer opportunities and details on upcoming events and clean-ups, visit their website at vancouverisland.surfrider.ca.
