MONROE — Efforts to keep Lake Erie’s shoreline clean remains a concern with The Cleanup Club and the colorful pieces of plastic collected will be used in a student eco-art workshop at Michigan State University.
On a recent Saturday morning, club volunteers and MSU students gathered at Monroe’s Sterling State Park to remove more plastic pollution.
Using a bucket or bag, 42 volunteers gathered. Some walked the shoreline collecting plastic pieces. Others weighed, counted and categorized the items into piles — ranging from bottle caps, straws, cigarette and cigar tips to micro plastic fragments and tampon applicators.
Once plastic is in the water, it slowly decomposes. The pieces are often small in size because they have been broken down by sunrays, waves and wind.
“Once those items break down, they become a bigger threat to wildlife including fish and birds,” Hannah Tizedes, club founder, said. “As the microplastics and nano plastics break down, we’re finding more in our water and food. With the Great Lakes being such a huge water source, it’s important we get it out before it breaks down.”
On Sept, 21, National Cleanup Day, the group cleaned up for about an hour and collected data for close to an hour. They removed 3,094 pieces from the beach, weighing approximately 53.29 pounds.
The club, a 501c3 nonprofit, started in April 2023. From April to November, Tizedes is joined by other volunteers for cleanup events at Sterling State Park. Their focus is to protect the community and Great Lakes from plastic pollution.
Claire Mahler of Hazel Park is a volunteer with the club. She joined last summer and say she enjoys helping with Lake Erie’s cleanup.
“I used to live in California and I love doing beach cleanups,” Claire Mahler said. “I love the Lake Erie cleanup. It’s calming and it starts your Sunday with a good impact.”
Like Tizedes, Mahler is serious about protecting the environment. She owns and operate 86 Plastic, a business in Troy.
“It’s a plastic-free store,” Mahler said. “You bring your own containers and you refill your containers with laundry detergent, spices, bulk food, shampoo to reduce single-use plastic.”
According to Alliance for the Great Lakes, more than 22 million pounds of plastic pollution end up in the Great Lakes each year. About 40% of all litter collected is classified as “tiny trash,” pieces that measure less than 2.5 centimeters.
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Next month, Tizedes will take a creative approach at Michigan State University’s Recycling Center. She’ll work with MSU students to recycle the collected trash into art.
Tizedes, a Michigan State University graduate who grew up in Flat Rock, has a background in environmental sustainability studies and worked at the university’s recycling center as a student.
“As a nonprofit, we try to utilize a lot of it for creative projects,” she said. “That’s part of our mission, to help inspire and educate people through making art pieces with the plastic.”
Tizedes started creating art with the plastics she found on shorelines in 2015 and has created murals at the SEA LIFE Aquarium in Auburn Hills, the state’s largest aquarium with more than 250 species and 2,000 creatures like rescued sea turtles and sharks.
“In the winter months, our work starts to dwindle down,” she said. “It’s difficult to clean up certain areas so we focus on K-12 programs and projects. We try to get the word out about plastic pollution and why it matters. We all know about ocean pollution but it’s not often people talk about Great Lakes’ plastic pollution. Talking about it is such an important piece of the puzzle.”
The Cleanup Club’s events are posted using social media like the group’s website, Facebook page, Instagram and Eventbrite.
Want to help?
There are two cleanup events planned before cold weather arrives.
Detroit Cleanup & Pizza Party
10 a.m.-noon on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024
Join the Cleanup Club for a community cleanup and pizza party. Hosted by Elephant & Co.
Where to meet: 456 Charlotte St. in Detroit
Lake Erie Beach Cleanup
10 a.m.-noon on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024
Sterling State Park – Beach cleanup and trash survey
Where to meet: 2800 State Park Road in Monroe
— Contact reporter Lisa Vidaurri-Bowling at lvidaurribowling@gannett.com . page.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Volunteers and MSU students turn Lake Erie’s plastic pollution into art
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