Organized in partnership with the Mayne Island Recycling Society, the Annual Beach Clean-up presents an opportunity for community-led environmental stewardship and island-wide impact. Hardworking volunteers collect around 10,000 litres of waste from beaches around the island, and more than 70% of that waste is diverted from the landfill and sent to Richmond’s Ocean Legacy recycling centre to be upcycled into Legacy Plastic!

Volunteer groups are organized by neighbourhood and spearheaded by a Beach Clean-up Captain.

The current Beach Captains are:

BENNETT BAY: Mike Nadeau. Phone: 0123, Email: mikeonmayne@gmail.com

CAMPBELL BAY: Hannah Epperson. Phone: 236 516 0177, Email: fiddlepegs@gmail.com

EDITH POINT: Helen O’Brian. Phone: 604-961-1234, Email: helenobrian47@gmail.com

HORTON BAY: Brenda Webster. Phone: 250 884 2472, Email: passagalia@gmail.com

KADONAGA BAY: Marian MacLean. Phone: 9995, Email: mmaclean613@gmail.com

LIGHTHOUSE: Carly McWilliams. Phone: 778 869 4425, Email: carlyz@shaw.ca

MINERS BAY: Mayne School (Justine A.). Email: stewardship@mayneconservancy.ca

OYSTER BAY/REEF BAY/DAVID COVE: Irene & Nigel Barrett. Phone: 5070, Email: barrett@shaw.ca

PIGGOTT BAY: Kim Harris. Phone: 9878, Email: kimharris55@gmail.com

VILLAGE BAY: Linda Jones. Phone: 604 202 8215, Email: joneslindajean@gmail.com

***Unless otherwise indicated, phone numbers start with 250-539***

Although we have this very successful event once a year, beach combers and islanders alike can contribute year-round to keep beaches clean and send off plastic to be given a new lease on life. Many people end up picking up refuse from the beaches when they’re out for a walk or exploration, and we’re encouraging people to sort out what they collect into garbage and plastic recycling and bring in the latter category to the recycling center year-round for transport to Ocean Legacy. Keep in mind that the plastic must be a certain standard of “clean” to be accepted by their recycling facilities, much like our household plastic needs to be clean for standard recycling. Anything that’s considered too bio-fouled, for example, might not be accepted, and you should check with a MI Recycling volunteer before dropping off your materials, as they will determine whether it should be diverted to the landfill instead.

Want to learn more about how the ocean plastics get diverted from the landfill? Check out this presentation from Josh McClean at Ocean Legacy.