Two Waste Sharks, aquatic drones that operate much like an automated household vacuum, have been deployed in Toronto Harbour. Each can collect up to one ton of plastic per operating day and are designed to remove larger plastic waste like cups, though it is doubtful they will make a dent in the problem in the harbour and Great Lakes.
Microplastics are small pieces of plastic, less than five millimetres in size, derived from a variety of sources. They include plastic waste that has broken down in the water, synthetic clothing bits from washing machines that go through municipal waste and plastic beads from personal care products.
OFAH biologist Adam Wier said eliminating them from Toronto Harbour is a good thing that should be coupled with a waste reduction education campaign.
“As for a dent in the plastic load, I don’t think it will have broad-scale impacts for Toronto and the surrounding area, but it should have localized impacts on floating plastics and waste in the harbour,” he said.
Recent studies have found significant microplastics in the Great Lakes. A University of Western Ontario study determined microplastics are becoming a permanent part of the sedimentary layer in the Great Lakes. The impacts aren’t completely understood yet, but they have been found in everything from mosquitoes and fish to humans.
“There is a need for more funding and research to better understand the risk to fisheries and aquatic wildlife populations,” Weir said, and added that there is a potential for negative interactions with the entire food web. Governments have tackled the issue through prohibitions on microbeads in cleaning products, but microbeads are still increasing.
