Reducing Plastic Pollution Through Scientific Research and Community Waste Management Education

By Ana Maria Higuera
(Ana is a Community Journalist with FOCUS Media Arts Centre, working under the direction of  Dimitrije Martinovic and Fred Alvarado, journalists employed under CACTUS's Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada)

Our new youth video-podcast, Climate Conversations (CC), led by Jabin Hauqe, Victoria Nanneti and Harris Ali, focuses on learning about and discussing climate change, environmental consciousness and issues. In this very first episode of CC, the Regent Park youth hosts spoke to Chelsea Rochman, Assistant Professor and researcher at the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at U of T, as well as the Co-founder and Program Lead for the U of T Trash Team. Rochman spoke to Jabin, Victoria and Harris about the Trash Team initiative, waste management/research and waste literacy. Getting us thinking about small changes that urban communities like Regent Park can implement in our daily lives, to have an impact on reducing plastic pollution.    

The U of T Trash Team is a five year old organization of students, early career researchers, U of T staff and volunteers whose goal is to increase waste literacy in the community. Helping people understand issues like plastic pollution, bringing awareness to the materials we use and discard on our day to day and how this waste is processed and managed. The Trash team also aims to use science and research as a platform and bridge to influence policy on waste management, as well as build community around aquatic ecosystem pollution education, encouraging less consumption and better management of plastics. They do this by creating research, spaces and projects like school programs, community clean ups, science projects on the waterfront and home waste audits, increasing consciousness about and reducing plastic pollution.
     
One of the U of T Trash Team led projects, the Urban Litter Challenge was impacted by COVID-19, in that instead of having the annual September clean up challenge just at U of T, the Trash Team members and volunteers spread out around the city at about 10 to 15 different sites for socially distanced editions. This was done to avoid large gatherings, but Rochman says it will probably continue every year now, because the footprint ended up being much bigger all across the city. The Trash Team reported on their blog that the 2021 Urban Litter Challenge the top 3 waste items picked up on the community cleanups were: cigarette butts, small pieces of plastic and food wrappers. Adding that “community cleanups are one of the best and most accessible ways to make a positive difference [and increase waste literacy] in just a few hours”.

The Trash Team’s main goal is education around plastic pollution issues. Rochman adds that they are not asking anyone to go zero-waste but instead looking to work with folks who are willing to educate themselves and take any small steps they can in order to reduce plastic pollution. Besides community cleanups you may find the Trash Team quantifying and characterizing litter in their trash traps on the waterfront, putting scientific sensors in the water to see where plastic goes or going into classrooms and teaching young people about waste management as a way to work towards a future with less waste and less plastic pollution of waterways.  

To participate or learn more about the U of T Trash Team initiative you can visit uofttrashteam.ca or contact Chelsea Rochman at chelsea.rochman@utoronto.ca