TORONTO — Shifting consumer habits and the natural breakdown of materials are altering the face of plastic pollution across the Great Lakes, according to new data released June 4 by a prominent regional cleanup initiative.

The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup (GLPC)—a joint project of environmental charity Pollution Probe and the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) Foundation—released its 2025 seasonal findings, detailing how different types of debris move through the watershed.

The report highlights a growing dichotomy in the basin: while shorelines and stormwater systems trap larger, identifiable consumer waste, the open water acts as a catchment for highly degraded microplastics.

Emerging Waste Streams

For the 2025 season, researchers introduced granular tracking categories to better map pollution pathways. The findings show that smoking-related items accounted for nearly 13 per cent of all collected debris. Notably, data collectors flagged a rising influx of nicotine pouches—a product not previously recorded in significant numbers—reflecting a shift in consumer trends.

Food-related packaging and wrappers made up more than eight per cent of the total debris, with individual food wrappers alone accounting for nearly five per cent.

Melissa DeYoung, chief executive officer at Pollution Probe, said the granular data provides the insight needed to build stronger prevention strategies.

“The shifts we’re seeing in the types of plastic and where they show up are exactly the kind of insight we need to strengthen prevention strategies [and] support evidence-based solutions,” DeYoung said in a statement.

The Breakdown Pathway

The data reinforces a troubling environmental pipeline: plastic appears to be breaking down into smaller pieces as it travels downstream toward the lakes.

While upstream environments and shorelines revealed larger, intact items, water-based capture technologies primarily trapped small, hard fragments. Expanded deployment of specialized capture technologies, including Canada’s first BeBot mobile beach-cleaning robot, allowed the group to sort and characterize roughly 32,500 pieces (42 kilograms) of debris at select sites this past season.

The report also noted a high frequency of small foam pieces in the open water. Project organizers point to urban construction activities and degrading dock foam as the primary suspected sources.

By the Numbers: The GLPC Basin-Wide Dataset

277,000+ – Total pieces of plastic and debris removed and logged to date.

2,800+ – Total data submissions across the network.

13% – Proportion of total 2025 debris consisting of smoking-related waste.

8% – Proportion of total 2025 debris consisting of food packaging and wrappers.

Targeting Policy and Source Control

The GLPC, which operates across the binational Great Lakes region from Lake Superior to the St. Lawrence River, aims to use the data to inform water policy and source-control interventions.

Vance Badawey, president and CEO of the Council of the Great Lakes Region, emphasized that understanding how plastics move through the ecosystem allows for smarter interventions before the waste ever reaches the water.

“Enhanced data collection allows us to better identify pollution sources, understand how plastics move through the ecosystem, and support smarter interventions at the source,” Badawey said, adding that continued investment in watershed-scale monitoring remains essential for the region’s long-term sustainability.

Water Canada Magazine editor’s note: For more information on regional watershed management and plastics research, visit greatlakesplasticcleanup.org.