Nova Chemicals Leads Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup Initiative with Seabin and LittaTrap Technologies

Nova Chemicals has become the lead corporate sponsor of the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup Initiative (GLPC), reinforcing its commitment to environmental stewardship.

Launched on August 27, 2020, GLPC unites cutting‑edge capture and clean‑up technologies with community outreach to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic waste—starting in Ontario and expanding across the Great Lakes region.

“It takes all of us to shape a better tomorrow,” said Luis Sierra, President and CEO of Nova Chemicals. “We are proud to partner with the Council of the Great Lakes Region, Pollution Probe, Environment and Climate Change Canada, regional marinas, and academic institutions to protect these vital waterways.”

This partnership marks the largest deployment of Seabin and LittaTrap cleanup systems worldwide, a critical step in addressing the region’s urgent plastic pollution crisis.

Nova Chemicals’ sponsorship will add the Andrew S. Brandt Marina in Sarnia Bay and Bridgeview Marina to the GLPC network, raising the total participating marinas to 13.

Great Lakes plastic pollution is staggering: some sites contain higher concentrations than ocean garbage patches, and shoreline clean‑ups reveal that plastic makes up roughly 80% of litter. Approximately 10,000 tonnes of plastic enter the lakes annually from Canada and the United States.

Over the next five years, Seabin and LittaTrap units will operate throughout spring, summer, and fall, collecting debris that will be analyzed and publicly reported on the GLPC website.

“Plastics serve essential roles in society, yet they must not persist in the environment,” Sierra added. “Through initiatives like this and our investments in advanced recycling, we are advancing the circular economy and bringing post‑consumer recyclate (PCR) to market.”