Located in sunny St. Petersburg, Florida, Eckerd College is a campus surrounded and defined by water. With the support of a NOAA Marine Debris Program Prevention Grant, the college recently implemented “The Sea Around Us: Reducing Single-use Plastic Consumption on a Coastal College Campus”, a project focuses on reducing, and ultimately eliminating, single-use plastic consumption on the college campus, as well as items that could potentially become marine debris.

The growing tide of plastic debris in our ocean is partially due to the steady discharge of plastic by our rivers that drain into the sea. Plastics materials enter waterways from rural and urbanized areas located near riverbanks, and then travel downstream with the flow. Plastic comes in a variety of sizes and includes both macroplastics (large enough to be seen with the naked eye) and microplastics (not easily seen with the naked eye and are about 5 mm in size; about the size of a pencil eraser).

As we get ready to celebrate our nation’s 243rd Independence Day, the NOAA Marine Debris Program would like to take a moment to reflect on what makes this holiday so special for Americans and share a few ways to bring it into the 21st century without marine debris!

Put on your flip-flops and let’s head to the beach! This week we are celebrating Clean Beaches Week and all of the great work our Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP) participants are doing.

The 2019 Southeast Marine Debris Action Plan is a compilation of recommended objectives, strategies, and actions to address marine debris in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. It is a collaborative effort between the federal, state, and local governments, non-governmental organizations, academia, and industry, and aims to coordinate and galvanize new action to address everyday marine debris and debris generated by disasters throughout the Southeast.

Students in Prince George’s County, Maryland are leading the way in marine debris prevention and cleanup in their community. Through the Alice Ferguson Foundation’s Watershed Leadership Program (WLP), more than 400 students from seven local high schools have learned about plastic pollution and executed school-based action plans to prevent marine debris.

With over 400 miles of coastline and over 10,000 miles of tidal shoreline, the Mid-Atlantic region is bountiful in its cultural, social, and environmental diversity. The Mid-Atlantic region encompasses coastal states from New Jersey to Virginia, and is no stranger to the impacts of marine debris. Like many coastal areas around the country, this region is often inundated with debris ranging from derelict fishing gear to consumer debris items, like plastic bags, bottles, and food packaging. Fortunately, there are several great efforts currently underway to address marine debris in the Mid-Atlantic.

It’s officially summertime! Traditionally, this is a time for family vacations, barbeques, and fun in the sun. Before you plan your summer activities, keep in mind the amount of waste they can generate, including travel shampoos and coolers filled with drinks and snacks. Even items that are properly recycled or placed in the trash can end up as marine debris. Fortunately, we have some easy tips for slimming down your waste and preventing marine debris this season.