Canada’s first Plastic Free ambassador plans Fort Erie cleanups
February 10, 2026 at 4:10 AM
Plastic waste on Lake Erie’s shores will take an estimated 200 years to decompose, and a local resident has taken on a new role aimed at keeping it out of Fort Erie’s shoreline parks and public green space.
Emanuele Garau, recently appointed the first Canadian ambassador for the nonprofit Plastic Free, has begun talks with Fort Erie town hall and reached out to local institutions about community cleanups and education outreach in Fort Erie and across Niagara.
Plastic Free is an Italian nonprofit active in 42 countries that runs volunteer-led projects in parks, beaches and urban areas, often paired with short educational introductions.
According to Plastic Free’s website, its volunteers have removed 4,863,200 kilograms of plastic and waste from the environment through 9,605 cleanup appointments and has delivered 4,311 school appointments that have reached 345,039 students.
“Plastic pollution is growing faster than our ability to manage it. Once plastic enters the environment, it remains there for decades,” Garau told Fort Erie Radio. “My role is to help bring Plastic Free’s mission to Canada.”
Garau called keeping communities clean a “collective responsibility” requiring all able citizens to protect the shared spaces from litter through both cleanup and prevention.
Garau has started early discussions with the Fort Erie’s waste contractor, Miller Waste Systems, for pickup and final handling. He has also been reaching out to public institutions as potential partners, including Niagara Falls Public Library, a Niagara Falls school and Fort Erie Public Library.
Organizing family-oriented cleanup events are at the centre of Plastic Free’s plan, with a brief introduction at the start and coordination with municipal waste services to handle what gets collected. A few pilot cleanups are under discussion for the spring and summer months, to keep families from freezing in the cold and get better turnout.
Recycling comes up in nearly every conversation about plastic, but it cannot keep pace with what ends up along Fort Erie’s shorelines, in parks and near takeout corridors, according to Garau, who pointed to a persistent belief that sorting waste cannot solve the problem alone.
“Recycling alone is not enough. Recycling helps, but reduction is the real solution,” said Garau.
Public cleanups will serve as a first step to make plastic waste visible in the places people share, then education and awareness can follow.
Garau hopes this initiative will spark a new conversation on the ways small towns deal with the rising problem of plastic pollution, with the goal being to foster a community “that feels ownership of its environment and acts accordingly.”
“Even showing up once makes a difference,” he noted.
No cleanup dates have yet been announced as work continues on confirming partners, coordinating disposal and selecting sites for pilot cleanups in Fort Erie and elsewhere in Niagara once the warmer months arrive.
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About The Author
Andrew Hawlitzky
Andrew is a Niagara community journalist who has covered everything from local politics to annual festivals and breaking news. He works to make local news a platform where community voices lead the conversation. "If you don't like the news, go out and make some!"
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