Pickering unveils fishing line receptacles along the waterfront

Fishing lines can seriously injury or kill wildlife — birds, reptiles and fish become entangled in it, and even dogs get lines wrapped around them.

Hopefully, the six new fishing line receptacles now installed at the Pickering waterfront will help mitigate this issue.

On Aug. 17, the City of Pickering and Ontario Power Generation (OPG) unveiled the city’s new fishing line receptacles, part of the ‘Clear Your Gear’ project, a volunteer-led fishing recycling network that keeps wildlife and residents safe from improperly disposed of fishing lines.

These receptacles will help ensure fishing lines are properly disposed of, and keep Pickering’s waterfront area safe.

How it works:

1)    Visitors deposit used fishing lines into the receptacles

2)    City staff empty the receptacles and sort out any garbage

3)    Staff will ship the fishing lines to a designated facility to be recycled

“We are thrilled to support the Clear Your Gear project and improve the safety of our wildlife, residents, and visitors,” said Lindsey Narraway, supervisor of Pickering Animal Services.

“Unfortunately, we have seen many animals become injured due to improperly disposed of fishing lines. Installing these receptacles will hopefully encourage those fishing to dispose of them the right way, and in return, protect those within our community.”

Pickering is one of the first municipalities to sponsor this program and looks forward to offering residents and visitors a new, easy, and sustainable way to dispose of fishing lines.

Visit pickering.ca/fishing to learn about the initiative, proper fishing etiquette, and more.

To learn more about Clear Your Gear, visit ClearYourGear.ca