top of page

Styrofoam is polluting the Salish Sea every day. 

Picture of a 9 year old girl siting on top of a big mountain of small pieces of styrofoam and with a shovel in her hands, picking this styrofoam to put it in plastic bags.

We need your help to stop this pollution at its source.
 

Expanded polystyrene plastic, commonly referred to as styrofoam, is the most common material used for flotation in British Columbia.

 

With few regulations and restrictions in place to limit its use, this material is left to break down into small foam beads, becoming a major pollutant in the Salish Sea.

It is polluting beaches, threatening marine life, and has the potential to transfer harmful toxins to human beings through seafood consumption.

 

Expanded polystyrene use in BC's marine environment is a problem that needs provincial and federal intervention.


Read on to find out more about the issue and what you can do to help!

What is styrofoam?

Styrofoam™ is a brand of expanded polystyrene (EPS) plastic that starts in the form of sphere-shaped polystyrene beads and is then injected with...

Explore our interactive map    

Click below to view the expanded polystyrene pollution that has washed up on some of British Columbia's most pristine beaches. 

And submit your photos!

Map

40-80%

of marine debris on British Columbia's coasts is expanded polystyrene

$2,000/KM

is the estimated cost of facilitating volunteer beach cleanups

6X

the price of recycling expanded polystyrene can cost six times more than sending it to a landfill

BC's Marine Expanded Polystyrene Problem 

Expanded polystyrene is the most common floatation material used in Canadian marine environments. Unfortunately...

Cleanup Costs For Local Communities

Each year local community members across British Columbia work to clean up their shorelines.​ Expanded polystyrene is commonly found, and the cost to clean it up is not cheap...

Why Further Regulation Is Needed 

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is making progress towards enforcing the use of encapsulated foam floats in aquaculture, however...

Expanded Polysytrene Alternatives

Air-filled flotation devices can replace expanded polystyrene. There are already a number of alternatives on the market...

Found Marine Pollution Near You?

Here is a list of available resources should you come across expanded polystyrene on your local beaches...

Have
Questions?

Don't hesitate to get in touch! 

bottom of page