The Province is partnering with the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup to hold cleanup events in communities around the province from Sept. 21-29, announced Environment Minister Mary Polak while helping cleanup Iona Beach in Richmond today.

The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, a conservation effort of the Vancouver Aquarium and the WWF, encourages all Canadians to make a difference in their communities by working together to help clean up their local waterways.

This year, there are 599 registered shoreline cleanups taking place throughout the province. BC Parks and its community partners are co-ordinating events at the following 11 locations as part of the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup:

• Discovery Island Marine Park with BC Parks staff

• Elk River Falls with the Campbell River Environmental Committee

• Robson Bight with CETUS

• Naikoon with the Sangan Streamkeepers

• Sombrio Beach with Surfrider Foundation

• Golden Ears with BC Parks staff

• Lost Ledge with Friends of Kootenay Lake

• Charlie Lake with Charlie Lake Conservation Society

• Lakelse Lake with Northwest Escapes

• Nechako & Fraser Rivers with the Prince George Jet Boat Association

• Atlin Lake with Big Water Society (took place in August)

BC Parks provides up to $500 per cleanup to community partners hosting cleanups in BC Parks - up to $5,000 per year.

Last year, enough litter was collected in B.C. alone to fill 4,971 garbage bags. The most common items collected from B.C. shorelines were cigarettes and food wrappers/containers.

Now in its 20th year, the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup has become Canada's largest contributor to the International Coastal Cleanup, a global effort to remove harmful litter and aquatic debris from shorelines.

Quotes:

Mary Polak, Environment Minister -

"I'm encouraging all British Columbians to get involved with the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. You can make a real difference, one that you can see in your community and the environment."

Jill Dwyer, manager, Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup -

"Shoreline litter continues to be a major environmental issue - one requiring all of our help to address. The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is grateful for the support of the Province and residents of B.C. in helping to combat this issue."

Quick Facts:

• In 2012, 24,653 British Columbians registered to be part of the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup - the highest participant rate across Canada.

• In 2012, British Columbians cleared 1,249 kilometres of shoreline and removed 429,798 items from B.C. shores, weighing 53,724 kilograms.

• Across Canada in 2012, participants removed 136,036 kilograms of litter from 3,144 kilometres of shoreline.

• The first organized cleanups began in 1994 along the shoreline of Stanley Park in Vancouver, and the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup became a national program in 2002.

• In May 2012, BC Parks and the Vancouver Aquarium entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining a joint agreement to achieve outcomes that would improve the health of B.C.'s aquatic ecosystems. This includes identifying priority cleanup sites and cross-promotion of events like the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.

Learn More:

BC Newsroom - Ministry of Environment: http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/ministries/environment-1

Search for a cleanup near you: www.shorelinecleanup.ca/en/search/cleanups/fall2013

Media Contact:

Media Relations
Ministry of Environment
250 953-3834