Since 1994, there have been 30,542 cleanups that have collected more than 2.1 million kg of trash across Canada’s shorelines.
We thank more than 972,000 volunteers that have led and participated in cleanups throughout the years, cleaning 48,428 km of freshwater and marine shores in Canada. We couldn’t do this without you.
In 1994, employees and volunteers at the Vancouver Aquarium decided to clean up a beach in Stanley Park to protect the city’s shorelines. From that first cleanup, the program expanded across British Columbia and by 1997, 400 volunteers were participating in the Great BC Beach Cleanup at 20 sites.
The Ocean Wise Shoreline Cleanup became a national conservation initiative in 2002 and cleanups started appearing in every province and territory. By 2003, more than 20,000 volunteers were taking part. Public support grew as Canadians became more aware of the harmful effects of shoreline litter on ecosystems, wildlife and people.
In 2017, the Vancouver Aquarium expanded to become Ocean Wise, a global conservation organization focused on protecting and restoring our world's oceans.
The Ocean Wise Shoreline Cleanup is now recognized as one of the largest direct action conservation programs in Canada. Ocean Wise is committed to growing the program to achieve our mission: to inspire Canadians to keep all shorelines free of litter.
