Almost 22 million pounds of plastic are washed or blown into the Great Lakes each year. Much of that ends up on shorelines far from where it started.
Matthew Hoffman of the Rochester Institute of Technology says Chicago’s pollution often drifts across the lake to Michigan. Particles from Detroit end up near Buffalo, and debris from Toronto floats across the border toward Rochester.
So tackling the problem requires communities across the region to work together.
According to Hoffman, “If you want to reduce pollution on a particular beach, you would not only have to make sure people don’t drop things there when they’re visiting…”
…but that people upstream and across the lake are being careful as well.
Get Schooled:
- Learn more about the study, from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
- Watch these videos on Hoffman’s website that simulate how plastic pollution moves throughout the Great Lakes.
- Find out how to reduce plastic pollution, from the Oceanic Society.
Watch this video featuring Matthew Hoffman, from WTVG-TV:
The fine print:
- This segment was produced in partnership with Cornell University’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future
