Governance and Cleanup Strategies

KEY INSIGHTS

• Prevention is more effective than cleanup alone: Stakeholders across government, industry, NGOs, and academia consistently emphasized that reducing plastic production and consumption is more impactful than relying on downstream cleanup and recycling, which have limited effectiveness on their own.
• Policy fragmentation limits progress: Plastic pollution governance in the Great Lakes is constrained by weakly enforceable and poorly aligned policies across provincial, national, and binational levels. This fragmentation reduces accountability and slows coordinated action.
• Circular-economy tools can significantly reduce plastic leakage: Interviewees identified extended producer responsibility, product redesign for recyclability, industry standards, and economic instruments (e.g., deposit–refund systems, plastic taxes) as high-impact strategies for preventing plastic pollution at source.
• Cleanup technologies vary widely in performance and cost: A comprehensive assessment of marine and freshwater plastic-cleanup technologies showed large differences in cost-effectiveness depending on technology type, location, and operating conditions. No single solution works everywhere.
• Integrated prevention–removal approaches work best: Combining upstream capture technologies (e.g., stormwater filters) with downstream removal methods (e.g., skimmers and dredgers) offers the most effective and sustained reduction in plastic leakage into aquatic systems.

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR MONITORING, POLICY, AND PRACTICE

• Supports evidence-based plastic policy: This research provides decision-makers with empirical evidence on which governance tools and regulatory approaches are most likely to reduce plastic pollution in the Great Lakes and across Canada.
• Guides cost-effective investment in cleanup technologies: By comparing costs, performance, and operational requirements, the work helps municipalities and policymakers select cleanup technologies that match local hydrology, risk profiles, and capacity.
• Enables coordinated action across sectors: Findings highlight the importance of aligning government regulation, industry standards, and consumer behaviour to move from fragmented responses toward system-wide plastic leakage reduction.
• Links technology choices to prevention strategies: Connecting cleanup performance with circular-economy and policy frameworks ensures that removal technologies complement—rather than replace—upstream prevention efforts.

RESEARCH PROCESS

This research aimed to address plastic pollution through a combined governance and technology lens, recognizing that neither policy nor cleanup solutions alone are sufficient.

In 2022, Master’s researcher Trang Le conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from government, industry, NGOs, and academia, including partners from the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup initiative. The analysis identified key drivers, barriers, and opportunities for improving plastic governance in the Great Lakes basin.

Complementary work under the same NSERC Alliance program contributed to a large-scale international assessment of plastic-cleanup technologies. Using multi-criteria analysis and cost-effectiveness evaluation, the research compared 25 technologies across Europe and North America, examining not only removal capacity and cost per kilogram, but also energy use, autonomy, training requirements, and weather sensitivity.

Together, these efforts create a holistic framework that links prevention, regulation, and cleanup to support more effective plastic pollution management in freshwater and marine systems.

RESEARCHERS & COLLABORATORS

Prof. Roy Brouwer
Professor, University of Waterloo
Expert in environmental economics and decision analysis; led international collaboration on evaluating the performance and cost-effectiveness of plastic-cleanup technologies.

Trang Le
Master’s Graduate, University of Waterloo
Led stakeholder interviews and policy analysis on plastic pollution governance in the Great Lakes, focusing on drivers, barriers, and actionable policy recommendations.

Key collaborators and partners

• Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup Initiative
• Horizon 2020 CLAIM Consortium (Cleaning Litter by developing and Applying Innovative Methods in European Seas)
• Cross-sector partners from government, industry, NGOs, and academia in Canada and Europe

KEY PUBLICATIONS & OUTPUTS

Brouwer, R., Huang, Y., Huizenga, T., Frantzi, S., Le, T., et al. (2023). Assessing the performance of marine plastics cleanup technologies in Europe and North America. Ocean & Coastal Management, 238, 106555. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2023.106555

Le, T. (2022). Canadian drivers, barriers and policy recommendations to address plastic pollution in the Great Lakes. Master’s thesis, University of Waterloo.

OUTREACH

As part of the project, our team partnered with the University of Waterloo Earth Sciences Museum to create the interactive outreach activity “Mitigating Microplastics.” It teaches young participants about plastic pollution, including managed versus mismanaged waste, global production, common plastic types, and how larger plastics break down into microplastics. The activity emphasizes actionable steps such as engaging with policymakers, making informed consumer choices, improving waste systems, and supporting sustainable material design.

Over the past two years, it has been featured at major events, including the Kids’ Science Open House, attended by over 3,000 young scientists annually, and the Waterloo Wellington Children’s Groundwater Festival, which draws around 6,000 elementary students each year.