PEI

Plastics a big issue for city creek cleanup

The cleanup of a creek that runs through the north of Charlottetown found some problematic plastics, says the coordinator of the Ellen's Creek Watershed Group.

'It's almost an instant micro plastic'

Volunteers from Ellen's Creek Watershed Group were out cleaning up the stream. (Ellen's Creek Watershed Group/Facebook)

The cleanup of a creek that runs through the north of Charlottetown found some problematic plastics, says the coordinator of the Ellen's Creek Watershed Group.

Norman Dewar said plastic shopping bags, which will be banned starting July 1, made up a large portion of what his group found in the water. But he said the trouble with plastics will continue after that ban goes into effect.

"There's a lot of other plastics that are going under the radar, which I think could be having an even a more significant impact to the environment," said Dewar.

"The chip bag, bags that have that two-layer plastic and where the plastic, that outer layer comes off and it's almost an instant micro plastic."

Dewar will be speaking about what his team found, as well as how we can all can do our part to maintain urban watersheds, at a Nature P.E.I. meeting Tuesday night at the Beaconsfield Carriage House.

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With files from Island Morning