Lelia MacDonald first saw garbage accumulating in the bays of Kasshabog Lake, Ont., 10 years ago. “I noticed it accidentally,” she says. “My favourite thing to do is kayak through the back bays at sunrise. But whenever I looked at the shoreline, there was garbage.” She found water bottles, pool noodles, tennis balls, and other easy-to-drop-off-the-boat items, as well as chunks of foam from polystyrene docks. She decided to clean up.
“I’ll pick up as much as I can fit into my kayak every day until it’s gone,” says Lelia. Each spring, she drives a trunk full of garbage to the dump. Still, there is always something left behind.
Lake litter sheds particles that sink into the water and sediment, where they remain as non-biodegradable microplastics. Polystyrene dock floats are notorious for this; in 2021, Ontario introduced Bill 228 to regulate foam floatation structures in lakes and rivers. But the act only addresses new, not existing, foam installations. Foam docks are far from the only cause of microplastics, but still, it made Lelia wonder: “If there’s that much visible pollution every year, how much invisible pollution is there?”
Lelia set out to spread the word. She posted on the Lake Kasshabog’er Facebook group to ask for help with shoreline cleanups and encouraged fellow cottagers to upgrade their foam docks. Since 2021, 50 neighbours have done so. But others weren’t as receptive. “Everyone thinks pollution is something other people do. It’s embarrassing to find out you are also a polluter,” says Lelia. She understands that POV—Kasshabog’s shorelines look pristine to those who don’t venture downwind.
What’s the best way to dispose of an old dock?
Wanting to learn more, Lelia contacted Trent University about studying microplastics in the lake. Kaede Sorensen, a student from the School of the Environment, adopted the project. Volunteer boat drivers, recruited by call-to-action posts on the Lake Kasshabog’er Facebook group, escorted Sorensen around the lake to collect water and sediment samples from June to November 2025. The team collected a total of 135 jugs of water and sediment, which Sorensen then analyzed to find patterns in the lake’s microplastics concentrations; she’s now writing up her findings.
Lelia hopes the results will help teach Kasshabog cottagers about microplastics. The goal is also to compare the lake’s levels to others in the region and discover how to minimize pollution.
“The water bottles and toys I clean up are accidental—we’re never going to change human nature,” says Lelia. “We have to focus on what we can change.”
This article was originally published in the Spring 2026 issue of Cottage Life.
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