The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup gets underway

A lot of trash has built up on Lower Mainland beaches and waterfront parks in the past few months, but today much of the junk will be cleared away.

Volunteer crews are taking to the sand, pebbles and grass for the annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.

Last year, over two thousand kilometers of the shoreline was cleaned by tens of thousands of volunteers.

The top three items recovered were cigarette buts, food wrappers and plastic bags.

“Large part of what we do is education,” says Jill Dwyer with Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. “Once you’ve picked up a hundred cigarette butts, hopefully you’ll be less likely to throw one down. That’s a large part of what we’re trying to do today.”

If you want to chip in, there are several locations where you can join a team. Go to http://www.shorelinecleanup.ca for more information.