The Great Lakes receive an estimated 22 million pounds of plastic debris each year. The plastic pollution that is plaguing our oceans is also affecting the Great Lakes.
I've been documenting plastic pollution at Kathy Osterman Beach in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. While this might appear to be a local issue, it's actually a symptom of a more significant societal problem. As such, it will require more awareness, conversation, and research about plastic pollution before we can reverse the impact we've had on ourselves and the environment.
An overflowing bin with piles of trash placed next to it (May 28, 2018). Though this might feel like a local issue, it also highlights our societal reliance of single-use plastic products. You can learn more about beach trash from Memorial Day Weekend on my site, or you can watch this video I created that is a decent summary.
A duck swimming through plastic waste, including: wrappers, bags, balloon fragments, and a condom (May 28, 2018).
Washed ashore: a plastic water bottle along the coastline of Lake Michigan (October 2, 2018).
A plastic bag in the waves of Lake Michigan (October 2, 2018).
Microplastic fragments and plastic nurdles (October 17, 2018).
Before we can solve a problem, we must first know that it exists. I've compiled a list of resources that have been useful to me as I've worked on this project — hopefully, you find them useful, too.
A volunteer cleans up plastic waste at Montrose Beach in Chicago, Illinois (September 15, 2018).