By Donna Tucker
Bill 228: Keeping Polystyrene Out of Ontario’s Lakes and Rivers Act became law on May 13, 2021. The Bill requires anyone who sells, offers to sell, or constructs floating docks, platforms, or buoys to ensure that any expanded or extruded polystyrene in the dock, platform, or buoy is fully encapsulated. Although the law was passed in 2021, the Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks (MOECP) has delayed the process, and the regulations have not been finalized. This is generally a two-year process. The regulations are critical for reducing the most significant source (95 per cent) of plastic pollution in Georgian Bay and any waterways with docks. Unencapsulated foam can still be applied and used in Port Severn’s floating homes. The Georgian Bay Association (GBA) has written a letter to Minister Piccini (MOECP) asking for action on this file. The letter can be found at: https://georgianbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GBA-letter-to-minister-piccini-aug-25-2023-on-dock-foam-regulations.pdf.
So, what is dock foam?
Large blocks of buoyant polystyrene foam material support docks by floating them. It’s a mixture of chemicals, including benzene and styrene, and comes in two types: expanded and extruded. The more common type is extruded, recognizable by its aqua-blue colour.
Why is unencapsulated dock foam such a problem?
Over time, the foam breaks up and gets chipped into fragments by water action, hefty waves and storms, sunlight, and animals chewing it. The fragments range from microscopic to large chunks, which release harmful chemicals into the water litter shorelines and break down further into microplastics. Polystyrene foam is a plastic and never really goes away. It poses a threat to aquatic wildlife that could ingest it. These tiny particles accumulate in the food chain and can affect the animals and marine life that consume them, impacting their survival, growth, swimming behaviour, feeding and reproduction.
Broken fragments of dock foam on a shoreline
What can you do?
Look under your dock – is the foam unencapsulated? Is it damaged or broken? If so, make a plan to change it out. There are alternatives, including encapsulated foam, steel and heavy plastic pontoons. While these alternatives are generally more expensive (by 10% at least), they will tend to last much longer and won’t fragment into thousands of litter pieces like unencapsulated polystyrene foam. Unencapsulated dock foam is currently one of the cheapest flotation materials for your docks, but it does not last as long as any of the alternatives. Unencapsulated dock foam is estimated to have a life span of 15 to 20 years. The alternatives (resin-encapsulated foam, 55-gallon plastic drums, encapsulated foam billets, or steel floats) all have longer life spans, some up to 60 years. Comparing unencapsulated foam to alternatives, the amortized cost per year is likely to be lower, or at least comparable, for the non-polluting alternatives. Another alternative that could be a do-it-yourself project uses plastic barrels as flotation devices.
You can also help by organizing a shoreline clean-up with your family and neighbours. Don’t forget to include nearby crown land.