First-Ever Great Lakes Coastal Cleanup Coming to Owen Sound & Five Other Ontario Communities
Owen Sound is one of six Ontario communities joining the first-ever Great Lakes Coastal Cleanup on Sept. 28, 2025, to tackle shoreline litter and protect local waters.
A province-wide shoreline cleanup initiative is set to launch this fall, with Owen Sound among the participating communities.
According to Environment Journal, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative has secured an $85,000 grant from Ontario’s Great Lakes Local Action Fund to host the first-ever Great Lakes Coastal Cleanup.
The initiative will take place on World Rivers Day, September 28, 2025, with six shoreline cleanups organized across Ontario.
The Cities Initiative expects more than 250 volunteers to take part, collecting up to 200 kilograms of litter along the shores of Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, as well as the St. Lawrence River.
Participating municipalities include Thunder Bay, Chatham-Kent, Owen Sound, Collingwood, Cobourg, and Kingston.
Ontario’s Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Todd McCarthy, called the cleanup “a fantastic community initiative to clean plastic and litter from local beaches, parks and shorelines across the province,” adding that the government’s support will help make “a lasting impact on the health of lakes and rivers in Ontario.”
The Cities Initiative estimates that 22 million pounds of plastic enter the Great Lakes each year, threatening wildlife and contaminating a drinking water source relied on by more than 40 million people in Canada and the United States.
“This investment shows the Province of Ontario’s and these communities’ engagement and passion for protecting our most precious freshwater resources,” said Mat Siscoe, Co-Chair of the Cities Initiative and Mayor of St. Catharines.
“We hope this cleanup will be the first of a growing annual movement across Ontario and all the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.”
The Great Lakes Coastal Cleanup is supported by the Government of Ontario, participating municipalities, and Greenland Consulting Engineers.
Residents interested in volunteering in Owen Sound or nearby locations can sign up at glslcities.org/great-lakes-coastal-cleanup. The Owen Sound Current will provide more information on local activities as it becomes available.
Source: ‘New partnership to host Great Lakes coastal cleanup in Ontario,’ Environment Journal, August 19, 2025.