{"id":6808,"date":"2019-04-11T08:30:03","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T12:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rockislandlodge.ca\/?p=6808"},"modified":"2019-04-09T20:13:28","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T00:13:28","slug":"the-facts-on-plastic-lake-superior-is-not-immune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rockislandlodge.ca\/the-facts-on-plastic-lake-superior-is-not-immune\/","title":{"rendered":"The Facts on Plastic: Lake Superior is not immune"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to scientists, areas of the Great Lakes are littered with concentrations of plastic waste that matches or exceeds<\/a> that the oceans\u2019 most infamous masses of floating garbage. While the majority of these ecology-altering eyesores are located adjacent to population centres in the lower Great Lakes (one study estimated that Toronto\u2019s Don River along contributes a whopping 650 kg<\/a> of plastic trash per year to Lake Ontario), Lake Superior has not escaped the plastic scourge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Shoreline residents know that floating plastic junk is nothing new. It\u2019s been washing ashore since humans became addicted to the stuff<\/a> in the wake of World War II. For 25 years, Naturally Superior Adventures guides have collected plastic flotsam from wilderness shores, including countless balloons, potato chip bags, twist ties and pop bottles. We\u2019ve volunteered in shoreline cleanups of Michipicoten Bay, where we scoured Driftwood Beach for plastic bags and cigarette butts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lately, guides have documented the arrival of nurdles \u2014 plastic beads used in the construction of rotomolded sea kayaks, among other food-grade applications \u2014 radiating across hundreds of kilometres in the decade since a 2008 derailment<\/a> on the Canadian Pacific Railroad on Nipigon Bay. Last summer, NSA\u2019s Jake O\u2019Flaherty collected the lentil-shaped pellets at numerous campsites on the Superior Highlands and Pukaskwa coastline, including McCoy\u2019s Harbour.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Like many environmental problems, plastic is a paradox. In everything from medical equipment to fleece sweaters and kayaks, these molecular chains of hydrocarbons have improved our lives with lightweight, durable products. But durability is also plastic\u2019s achilles heel. It\u2019s slow to breakdown and when it does, tends to decompose into smaller and smaller particles\u2014known as microplastics<\/a>\u2014which fly and float through the environment in near-perpetuity. Researchers are just beginning to document the impacts of ingested microplastic on fish and wildlife<\/a> (from torn intestines to tumours, the results are pretty); and a the results study released in October 2018 demonstrated that our own guts are likely laced with the stuff<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, we do a terrible job of recycling the plastic. Only 8 per cent of plastic in Ontario is recycled<\/a>. It seems like the feel-good notion of recycling simply gave manufacturers the social licence needed to create more plastic.<\/p>\n

Slowly, things are changing. No one denies that plastic waste has emerged has a global problem. Jurisdictions around the world are banning single-use plastics. Like so many others, we\u2019ve endeavoured to reduce our dependency on the stuff at Rock Island Lodge. Action is the best antidote to despair. We\u2019re certain Naturally Superior guides will continue to return with beachcombed flotsam in their kayaks\u2019 hatches. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014 Read more about plastic waste on Lake Superior (and sign up for their great newsletter) at<\/i> InfoSuperior<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\n <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to scientists, areas of the Great Lakes are littered with concentrations of plastic waste that matches or exceeds that the oceans\u2019 most infamous masses of floating garbage. While the majority of these ecology-altering eyesores are located adjacent to population centres in the lower Great Lakes (one study estimated that Toronto\u2019s Don River along contributes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,38],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Facts on Plastic: Lake Superior is not immune - Rock Island Lodge<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rockislandlodge.ca\/the-facts-on-plastic-lake-superior-is-not-immune\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Facts on Plastic: Lake Superior is not immune - Rock Island Lodge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"According to scientists, areas of the Great Lakes are littered with concentrations of plastic waste that matches or exceeds that the oceans\u2019 most infamous masses of floating garbage. 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