Wednesday April 22, 2026 | NANAIMO, BC [11:31 am PT]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Today on Earth Day, Ocean Wise has released their 2025 Shoreline Cleanup Impact Report.
The report shows that the plastics ban is working but that its scope needs to increase.
Between 2022 and 2025 all items covered by Canada’s single-use plastic ban saw a decline in prevalence, says Ocean Wise.
Report data informed 14 local interventions to reduce plastic pollution at its source.
The report says that Canada’s single-use plastics ban is having a measurable impact while highlighting critical gaps in current regulations.
In 2022, Canada introduced regulations banning several common single-use plastic items, including checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware, stir sticks, and straws. These regulations were designed to reduce the amount of plastic waste entering the environment.
Cleanup data:
The report includes data (Canada and USA) as collected by 9,112 volunteers who participated in 862 cleanups, removed 14,025 kilograms of waste and documented more than 363,246 pieces of litter.
Ocean Wise says the data shows declines in items covered by the single-use plastics ban, including a 16% drop in plastic bags and a 3% decrease in utensils per person year on year.
Dirty dozen:
Another top offender for things disposed is cigarette butts, followed by plastic pieces and paper.
Overall, the ‘dirty dozen’ items list issued by Ocean Wise in their 2025 report is (in order by number of pieces collected): cigarette butts, plastic pieces, paper, food wrappers, bottle caps, styrofoam pieces, beverage cans, plastic bottles, coffee cups and lids, plastic bags, construction material, and straws.
Impact in Nanaimo:
Ocean Wise’s 2025 Shoreline Cleanup Impact Report highlights how the City of Nanaimo is using that data to take action:
- Cleanup data showed higher levels of litter during large public events in waterfront parks
- In response, the City added recycling and organics containers in key event areas
- These changes improve access to waste disposal at source and help reduce shoreline litter
Ocean Wise reports that plastic items not covered by the an on single use plastics are increasing in collected litter. They report a 19% increase in finding coffee cups and lids compared to 2024.
Shoreline petition:
Ocean Wise has a petition online at Change.org aimed at banning more single-use plastics as a way to protect shorelines.
About Ocean Wise:
Ocean Wise is an ocean conservation organization headquartered in Vancouver.
The Ocean Wise Shoreline Cleanup program, established in 1994, has grown from a single beach cleanup in Vancouver’s Stanley Park to one of Canada’s largest conservation initiatives, now with an international presence.
Ocean Wise Shoreline Cleanup events to reduce the amount of litter that ends up in the oceans offer the opportunity to take action and make a positive impact in local communities. It gets friends, family, and colleagues involved.
===== RELATED:
NEWS SECTIONS: ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY | EARTH DAY | EVENTS | PARKS & TRAILS | TREES & NATURAL HABITAT | NANAIMO