West Vancouver, On the traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations: 

Living Oceans Society launched a new campaign today to protect sensitive wildlife habitat from plastic pollution. This Earth Day, Living Oceans is asking for the public’s help to continue its vital work protecting North Island beaches, by returning empties to the Return-it Express depot and donating proceeds to the organization.  

Along with the new campaign, Living Oceans released the results of a decade of work on North Island beaches. Crews of volunteers led by Living Oceans’ staff have cleaned beaches every year since 2014, bringing in a total of 132.16 metric tonnes of plastic. Executive Director Karen Wristen said, “The majority of the plastic we’re seeing is abandoned, lost or discarded fishing and aquaculture gear—floats, nets, lines and a variety of plastic barrels and carboys. Next would be EPS foam, used in flotation and packaging.” 

The expeditions have been funded by a variety of sources over the years, including Living Oceans’ donors, foundations like Sitka and the Shaw Family Foundation, the BC Parks Park Enhancement Fund and, in 2024 only, a grant from the Clean Coast, Clean Waters Initiative Fund, now defunct. 

“It’s extremely costly to move all that debris, as it has to be helicoptered and barged or trucked to recycling and landfill. And then there’s the cost of transporting teams of 12-18 people to the sites and supporting them on the ground while they work. It’s been a struggle to find funders willing to keep funding a problem with no permanent solution on the horizon,” said Wristen. 

“That’s where the idea for the Return-it program came in,” said Wristen. “It offers a kind of loop in the process of creating a circular economy with plastics. People can collect empties, wherever they find them, making sure they never reach the ocean. They take them to the Return-it Express and donate the proceeds to Living Oceans, getting a tax receipt at the end of the year. We use the proceeds to clean up more plastic from North Island beaches, preventing wildlife entanglements and deaths. And we recycle as much of that plastic as possible, diverting it from landfill.” 

Anyone wishing to support the program can download the free Return-it Express app at return-it.ca, set up an account and search for Living Oceans, setting the organization as the preferred donation recipient. Then, just bag the empties in a clear bag and take up to 6 bags per visit to the Express depot nearest them. No counting or sorting is required.