GBA Flipping Book - Spring 2020

6 ≥ www.georgianbay.ca GBA UPDATE Spring 2020 ENVIRONMENTS By Sandy Thompson, Environment Director, CCA T his summer, several of our member associations participated in Georgian Bay Forever’s (GBF) shoreline clean-up initiatives as part of the GBA’s new annual Love Your Bay event. One of the key insights that came out of those efforts was a realization that our shores and our waters are littered with pieces of dock foam, both large and miniscule, that have washed up over the years. This pollutant’s full name is either EPS, expanded polystyrene, better known by its trademarked name, Styrofoam; or XPS, extruded polystyrene, better known as blue dock foam (although it comes in colours other than blue). Polystyrene is a plastic; when it is expanded with air to make it lighter, it can be molded into an endless number of shapes for a variety of uses. In cities and urban areas, we usually see EPS in grocery packaging and takeout food and beverage containers; XPS is often used as rigid insulation. Throughout Georgian Bay and Canada’s lakes, most of the polystyrene we encounter along our shorelines is XPS, as blue dock foam is used for foam flotation billets under many docks. When the foam is not coated or encased, it is referred to as unencapsulated foam and is a major source of plastic pollution on our shorelines. When unencapsulated foam gets waterlogged and is exposed to sunlight for decades, it will start to break down. Some of our favourite mammals also like to chew on the foam, which further speeds up the break down. When it does break down, these large, medium and small pieces of plastic escape into the aquatic environment, not only causing visual pollution, but also getting into the aquatic food chain as microplastics are consumed by fish and other animals. In most shoreline clean- ups, small and medium-sized plastic pieces were the number one pollutant collected this year. If you look closely at the debris on your shoreline, you will see thousands of tiny pieces of plastic in an array of colours. The longer you look, the more you will see. Maybe a great family activity for the summer is to challenge everyone to see who can collect the most plastic off the shoreline!        Although available at some retailers, many dock manufacturers do not offer unencapsulated foam as an option anymore. And it is likely that most unencapsulated foam flotation billets being used on docks are on older or abandoned docks. Today there are several other flotation options that will not release plastics into the environment, including using 55-gallon plastic drums, resin-encapsulated foam billets, and steel floats. While unencapsulated foam initially appears more cost effective than other options, the overall cost of the product, including environmental damage and a shorter lifespan, can be higher than other flotation options. If you are planning to replace your dock soon, consider using resin-encapsulated foam or another floatation option that will not release plastics into the environment. Municipalities throughout North America are evaluating bans on the use of EPS in takeout food and beverage containers in an effort to reduce plastic pollution, particularly in the oceans. Within the municipalities of Georgian Bay, we are not aware of any current regulations related to the The Big and Very Tiny ProblemWith Dock Foam NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Township of the Archipelago initiate an education program in cooperation with ratepayer associations, Georgian Bay Forever, Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve and the Great Lakes mayors regarding the environmental impact of foam docks, including lobbying efforts to encourage the provincial government to ban the use of foam for docks. - December 13, 2019 “ “ Photo: Rolfe Jones