The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup is a flagship initiative jointly led by Pollution Probe and the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) to address the growing plastic pollution problem across the Great Lakes, the world’s largest freshwater system. The program advances plastic sustainability and protects the Great Lakes for people, wildlife, and future generations using a combination of innovative technology, data-based insights, and community engagement.
Launched in 2020, the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup (GLPC) is the largest initiative of its kind in North America focused on plastics and sustainability in freshwater systems. The program deploys proven plastic capture technologies across rivers, stormwater systems, and shorelines, from Lake Superior to the St. Lawrence River, to prevent plastic waste from entering and accumulating in the Great Lakes.
Beyond cleanup, GLPC supports long-term solutions for plastics and sustainability by generating actionable data, building awareness, and convening governments, businesses, nonprofits, and communities around shared responsibility.
Each year, millions of kilograms of plastic enter the Great Lakes, creating one of the most urgent environmental challenges facing the region. This Great Lakes plastic pollution harms fish and wildlife, degrades water quality, and threatens the health and livelihoods of more than 40 million people who rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water, recreation, and economic activity.
Plastic pollution pathways are complex and still evolving. Research suggests that managing plastic pollution in the Great Lakes region could cost up to $400 million annually, reinforcing the need for preventative, scalable, and collaborative solutions that support long-term plastic sustainability.
The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup takes an integrated, region-wide approach to advancing plastic sustainability through three core pillars:
These strategies ensure the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup delivers lasting impact.
Since its launch, the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup has achieved meaningful, measurable impact across the binational region:
These outcomes are made possible through collaboration between Pollution Probe, CGLR, funders, and a growing network of partners committed to reducing Great Lakes plastic pollution.
Addressing plastic pollution in the Great Lakes requires collective action. Whether you’re a municipality, business, nonprofit, policymaker, or concerned resident, there are many ways to support the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup (GLPC).
Your involvement helps expand cleanup infrastructure, strengthen data-driven insights, and accelerate plastic sustainability solutions that protect freshwater ecosystems for generations to come.
Charitable contributions to the CGLR Foundation is the US and the CGLR Canada Foundation are crucial for helping us integrate environmental considerations into our regional public policy decisions, business strategies, and investment choices.
Charitable contributions to the CGLR Foundation in the US and the CGLR Canada Foundation are crucial for helping us integrate environmental considerations into our regional public policy decisions, business strategies, and investment choices.
Supporting CGLR and joining our programs and outreach efforts will help bring sector leaders and stakeholders together to grow the region’s US-Canada economic partnership, transition to a sustainable future, and strengthen our competitiveness in today’s fast pace global marketplace.
