Almost 9 out of 10 pounds of Great Lakes beach litter each year is plastic, new report finds
Caitlin Looby
An average of 86% of the litter collected each year on Great Lakes beaches is plastic, according to a new report based on 20 years of data collected from more than 14,000 beach cleanups.
The report by the Alliance for the Great Lakes offers a grim reminder that plastic never fully disappears. Instead, it breaks down into ever-smaller microplastics, which are a threat to the environment and human health.
While plastic pollution in oceans often gets the most attention, the damage in the Great Lakes is arguably riskier, since people drink the water, said Olivia Reda, volunteer engagement manager at the Alliance for the Great Lakes and author of the report.
Every year 22 million pounds of plastic winds up in the Great Lakes, half of which goes into Lake Michigan, according to a 2016 study from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Most of the microplastics present in the lakes are about the width of a human hair.
The report also outlines ways to reduce plastic pollution, noting that while individuals can certainly make a difference, substantial change will require action from businesses, governments and manufacturers.
Here are three key takeaways from the report.
Most of the litter is smaller than a quarter
Between 2014 and 2023, 40% of the litter collected was considered "tiny trash," including pieces of foam, glass and plastic less than 2.5 cm − or smaller than a quarter. At first glance it may not seem like there is a lot of this small trash on the beach, Reda said, but once people dig for it, they see how much is there.
Food related waste consisted of 27%, smoking related waste was 22% and the remainder was classified as other.
The report also ranked the top litter items and compared them over time. Between 2003 and 2013, the top three litter items collected were cigarette butts, food wrappers and drink caps and lids. Since then, plastic pieces have topped the list, followed by cigarette butts and foam pieces.
Since 2003, the amount of plastic collected at Great Lakes beaches has been fairly consistent, according to the report.
Over the past two decades since the alliance started collecting data, volunteers collected more than 1.7 million pieces of plastic on Great Lakes beaches.
Plastic foam, which is often referred to as the brand name Styrofoam, is a particularly problematic kind of plastic that is common in food packaging, construction and insulation. Volunteers removed more than a half million foam pieces on beaches since 2014.
Once foam gets into the water, it's nearly impossible get out, the report said.
Plastic producers need to make a dent in the problem
The Great Lakes don't have currents like oceans do, so the litter that people see didn't wash up from far away. It's there because someone put it there, Reda emphasized.
A suite of technologies, like an aquatic robot vacuum and a beach comber, are being used to clean up trash from beaches in the region. In Wisconsin, much of this work is being done by students at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Some other, broader solutions include getting rid of single-use plastic bags; using filters in washing machines to remove microplastics before they enter waterways, like the Great Lakes; and increasing access to water bottle refilling stations.
But according to Reda, significant change will need to come from policy makers and businesses.
One way to do this is to hold producers responsible for the products and packaging they design, and encourage them to make less single-use plastic. Fisk Johnson, CEO of Racine-based SC Johnson, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works advocating for these policies in March.
Policies like this are in place in some states in the U.S., like California, Colorado, Maine and Oregon as well as on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes in Ontario and Quebec. On the U.S. side of the lakes, a bill is moving forward in Minnesota and, according to the Alliance for the Great Lakes, there will be a bill introduced later this year in Michigan.
"We can't recycle our way of this," Reda said. "We need plastic producers to join the fight."
The report is the result of a massive citizen science effort
While data from the report are from beach cleanups from the past two decades, the cleanup effort has been going on for 30 years. Since then, 200,000 people have participated, picking up 9.7 million pieces of trash that totaled more than half a million pounds.
This is the power of citizen science and communities coming together to fix a problem, Reda said.
More:The Great Lakes were named the first freshwater 'Hope Spot,' here's why that matters
Caitlin Looby is a Report for America corps member who writes about the environment and the Great Lakes. Reach her at clooby@gannett.com or follow her on X@caitlooby.
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