April Showers Bring Both Flowers and Debris

Spring has officially begun and while most of us are looking forward to April’s showers bringing those promised May flowers, we often forget that this melty and rainy spring weather often brings something much less pleasant as well— marine debris. With rains and melting snow and ice, trash that has found its way to our streets, storm drains, shorelines, etc. is flushed out into our ocean, Great Lakes, and waterways. In some areas, some of this trash may have been trapped within the snow for months before being swept away with melting runoff.

So what do we do about this springtime debris? We can work to pick up this trash before April showers have a chance to wash it into our nearby waters! Join a cleanup in your area. If you haven’t already, subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, which lists cleanups happening around the country. Earth Day is coming up, and with it, many cleanup opportunities. If you can’t find an event near you, start one yourself! Gather some friends, clean up your community (remember, safety first!), and use the Marine Debris Tracker app to record what you find. Most importantly, we can all help to prevent more debris from finding its way into our environment. Spread the word about this problem and remember to practice the 4R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle, refuse) every day!