Plastic Free Salish Sea

Plastic Free Salish Sea

Let's do our part to protect the Salish Sea.

The San Juan MRC and our community partners have launched our Plastic Free Salish Sea initiative. This initiative is an education and awareness-building campaign aimed at changing citizen behavior and the culture of plastics use.

Our vision is to eliminate single-use plastics in San Juan County and clean up our waters.

Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is having a devastating effect on marine life and human health. Plastic debris is found daily on San Juan County’s shorelines. Microplastics are particularly worrying given that they are found in fish and shellfish and even in sea salt, so in turn also finding it’s way into our diets. Our use of plastic, particularly single-use, must change. The goal of this website is to provide a resource for all solid waste, recycling, waste reduction, and zero waste resources, events, and organizations in San Juan County.

We invite to explore the community-based resources website we have created to learn about what we are doing and how you can reduce your reliance on plastics. We have easy to use toolkits, an events page for information on things to get involved in, and a dedicated resources page with links and infographics for you to access and use.

Don't forget to check out the video below created by MRC member Carl Davis.  

Removing Derelict Fishing Gear Helps The Salish Sea

Our partners at the NW Straits Foundation have been working hard to identify and remove derelict fishing gear and crab traps. Recently, the NW Straits removed 104 derelict pots from Leo Reef off Lopez Island. What a great load of debris removed from local waterways! 

What can we do as a society and as individuals?

This infographic produced by the Ocean Conservancy concisely explains the issues and captures some of the core things that we must do as a society to address to the issue. These include:

  • Reduce plastic in the waste stream
  • Improve solid waste management
  • Increase capture and reuse

OUR PARTNERS

San Juan County Solid Waste Program
Friends of the San Juans
Orcas Recycling Services & Exchange
Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District
Solid Waste Alternatives Program (SWAP)
Conservation District
Youth Conservation Corp

Plastic Free Salish Sea