The Great Lakes collectively hold around 21% of the world’s fresh water. Some stewardship organizations are taking new steps to reduce pollution in the Great Lakes, and New York is no exception.
Among the disadvantages for Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, in terms of pollution, is being at the end of the Great Lakes water system.
It isn’t clear what percentage of pollutants come from the other lakes, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Executive Director Jill Jedlicka said. That’s why the waterkeepers have started working with Wayne State University in Michigan to analyze microplastics and other lake debris.
“When plastics are in the environment, they degrade into forms that are literal micro plastics that you have to see under a microscope," Jedlicka said. "That's very hard, sometimes, to be able to determine the source of it. But if we can start to, more definitively, identify the sources of where these are coming from, now, we can target and implement solutions much quicker.”
Another current attempt to use technology for waste reduction is the Circular Great Lakes Initiative, which includes Dart Container Corporation working with the Council of the Great Lakes Region and supplying up to $100,000 in grants for the purchase and installation of waste-capturing devices.
The project operates mainly in Michigan, Illinois and Ontario, Canada, but there are goals to expand throughout the Great Lakes, said Libby Rice, sustainability program manager for Dart Container Corporation.
“We want to invest in the future of the Great Lakes. We want to invest in the health of our communities, and this is it's almost the perfect way to do it," she said. "And when there is financial stress on all kinds of businesses, we're not immune to that either. But you can see the commitment from our leadership that this funding mechanism is still in place regardless of what else is happening within our industry.”
While microplastics are among the most common pollutants, there are others often found in the Great Lakes. Cigarettes and chemical pollution are also commonly found in the waterways, but sometimes the impact is more difficult to define than how many cigarettes are picked up, said Ally Walker, Program Officer of Circular Economy for the Council of the Great Lakes Region.
"Spreading awareness of the issue into the communities is a great way to spread the word, but also just get people thinking about what they're using or what they're accidentally dropping, or just being more aware of the waste that they generate.hat's not quite so quantifiable, but certainly a really big impact on a community."
Finding the right technologies that prove effective can be tricky. It might not be a singular solution or becoming wholly dependent on mechanization, but instead changing the overall mindset, Jedlicka said.
“The reality is, when it comes to marine debris and managing the waste that we are intentionally putting into our drinking water supplies, is it's not necessarily a technological solution," she said. "A big part of that is legislative solutions. A big part of that is cultural and society making better choices.”
In addition to working with Wayne State University, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper utilizes a variety of cleanup programs like its Spring Sweeps and Solo Sweeps efforts to reduce waste on a grassroots level.
