Context
Plastic pollution continues to accumulate in coastal and marine ecosystems, including remote and protected areas where waste management infrastructure is limited or absent. In North America and other priority marine ecosystems, certain sites act as natural accumulation zones, concentrating large volumes of debris that threaten biodiversity, degrade habitats, and impact local communities. Plastic continues to enter the ocean at massive scale, with Plastic Odyssey’s research report citing approximately 20 tons every minute¹, while less than 1% remains visible at the surface² and the vast majority fragments, disperses, accumulates along coastlines, or sinks below the surface.
These environments are often difficult and costly to access, which limits intervention despite their ecological importance. As a result, significant volumes of legacy plastic remain unaddressed. There is a need for targeted, field based operations capable of working in complex conditions to remove accumulated waste, document its impacts, and support long term environmental stewardship. This is the rationale behind Plastic Odyssey’s Impossible Cleanup® approach³, designed for sites where ecological sensitivity, isolation, and logistical constraints make conventional cleanup operations unworkable.
Goals
The project aims to remove accumulated plastic waste from high priority coastal and marine ecosystems, especially in remote or protected areas where intervention is limited, with a primary focus on direct environmental protection through field operations.
Activities
Activities may include site identification and assessment, deployment of field teams to collect and remove plastic waste, and sorting and processing of collected materials in coordination with local partners where feasible.
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- ©Marine Reveilhac
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- ©Marine Reveilhac
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- ©Marine Reveilhac
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- ©Marine Reveilhac
Key Performance Indicators
– Tons of plastic waste removed per year from targeted coastal and marine ecosystems;
– Number of field cleanup operations conducted per year in remote or protected sites;
– Number of kilometers of coastline restored per year through plastic removal.
Myriad Canada is working with The Plastic Odyssey Fund on this project, a US-nonprofit whose mission is to help solve the growing crisis of ocean plastic pollution through exclusively charitable and educational activities. Plastic Odyssey Fund supports the global activities of Plastic Odyssey, which has conducted a multi-year expedition across more than 30 countries, addressing plastic pollution in coastal communities and challenging environments. Activities have included cleanup operations in remote and fragile ecosystems, field testing of low-impact solutions, and collaboration with local stakeholders to support long-term environmental stewardship.
Myriad Canada’s role is to carry out charitable activities across the globe in accordance with its charitable purposes. We control and monitor the use of funds and the progress of charitable activities to ensure that donations made to Myriad Canada have the greatest impact in accordance with donors’ expressed wishes. As a member of the Myriad Alliance with offices in Canada, the US, Europe, Asia and Australia, Myriad Canada has a vast international network and extensive practical expertise.
How to support this project?
By credit card: At the top right of this page, indicate the amount you wish to donate, and make the donation online by credit card. You will receive a receipt for tax purposes by e-mail just a few minutes after making the donation. It is simple and quick!
By cheque:
- Make your cheque out to Myriad Canada.
- IMPORTANT NOTE: We receive a lot of cheques! You must please indicate “Project F604 – The Impossible Cleanup Fund” in the memo line of your cheque to ensure that it is allocated correctly.
- Mail your cheque to: Myriad Canada, 1 Place Ville Marie, Suite 1670, Montreal, QC, H3B 2B6, Canada.
By Direct Deposit:
- For transfer instructions, please email or call Caroline Chaulet: caroline@myriadcanada.org or +1 438 300 8122.
For Donation of Securities:
- Please email or call Caroline Chaulet: caroline@myriadcanada.org or +1 438 300 8122.
For Monthly Donations:
- We use CanadaHelps. Please find the link here.
If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
All donations are eligible for a tax receipt in Canada.
The projects are managed with the greatest care and professionalism.