You can help stop plastic pollution by taking the Plastic-Free Pledge. This program is a partnership between Clean North and the City of Sault Ste. Marie, designed to reduce plastic pollution locally and reduce the pressure on our local landfill. Participants can choose to reduce 3, 6, or 10 types of single- or short-term use plastic products. And the pledge can be taken by individuals, families, businesses, organizations, and institutions.
So why reduce plastic use?
Plastic pollution is a serious problem. Plastic items take hundreds of years to break down and are taking up huge amounts of space in our landfill. Plastics also cause harm by splintering into microplastics, which are ending up in our lakes, rivers, and fish. Scientists have even found microplastics in human placentas! Plastics can also leach toxins into our groundwater. And while our beaches may look clean, if you examine the sand closely, you will find lots of little bits of plastic in it.
We can each make a difference by taking the Plastic-Free Pledge, the first step towards a lower-plastic lifestyle. It takes only a few minutes to sign up. But it will take some time to determine your plastic use and set targets.
The effort is worth it in terms of how it will help protect us, our children, our grandchildren, and ecosystems. Taking the pledge, which includes a waste audit, is a great educational activity for families, too!
Take the pledge now!
We hope you will take the Plastic-Free Pledge soon and help our community move towards a cleaner and greener future.
After six months, if you report back on your reduced use of plastic, you will be given a frameable certificate and added to our Plastic-Free Pledge Hall of Fame page on our website. And you will have the reward of knowing you are helping to protect our local environment.
