NOAA Marine Debris Program e-Newsletter | September 2019

September 2019

Plastic bottles, foam, and other debris on the shores of Kingman Island in Washington, DC (Photo: NOAA).

In This Issue

2019 International Coastal Cleanup

New Marine Debris Projects

2020 Calendar Now Available

Keep Lunches Debris Free

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

Quick Links

Marine Debris Website
Marine Debris Blog
MDMAP Toolbox
ADV InfoHub
Clearinghouse

Marine Debris Tracker Mobile Application

Tracker App Logo

Make a difference by using the Marine Debris Tracker app to record debris items you find.

Upcoming Cleanups

Looking to participate in the
International Coastal Cleanup?
Check out the cleanup map on
the Ocean Conservancy's
website to find an event near you!

September 7
Save Our Shores
Twin Lakes State Beach
Santa Cruz, CA

September 7
Ocean Hour
Naval Live Oaks Nature Preserve
Gulf Breeze, FL

September 7
NYC Parks
Washington Square Park
New York, NY

September 7
Seaside Aquarium
Seaside Beach
Seaside, OR

September 7
Potomac Conservancy
Jones Point Park
Alexandria, VA

September 8
Alliance for the Great Lakes
Evanston Lighthouse Beach
Evanston, IL

September 8
Alliance for the Great Lakes
Lake Forest Park Beach
Lake Forest, IL

September 11
808 Cleanups
Kaʻena Point State Park
Waialua, Oʻahu, HI

September 11
Green Bay American Association of Zoo Keepers
Bayshore Park Beach
Green Bay, WI

September 13
Alliance for the Great Lakes
Park Point Recreation Area
Duluth, MN

September 14
I Love A Clean San Diego
Mission Beach Park
San Diego, CA

September 14
Florida State Parks
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
Key Biscayne, FL

September 14
808 Cleanups
Fort Hase Beach
Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Oʻahu, HI

September 14
Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
Long Beach
Provincetown, MA

September 14
Potomac Riverkeeper
National Harbor
Fort Washington, MD

September 14
Blue Ocean Society
Jenness Beach
Rye, NH

September 14
NYC Parks
Riverside Park South
New York, NY

September 14
Coastal Steward Long Island
Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park
Oyster Bay, NY

September 14
SOLVE
Sauvie Island
Portland, OR

September 14
Trash Free Potomac
Hume Springs Park
Alexandria, VA

September 14
Washington State University Extension
Windjammer City Park
Oak Harbor, WA

September 15
Surfrider San Francisco
Ocean Beach
San Francisco, CA

September 18
Washington State University Extension
Keystone Spit East State Park
Coupeville, WA

September 28
Potomac Conservancy
Theodore Roosevelt Island
Washington, DC

September 28
Ocean Hour
Fort Pickens
Pensacola Beach, FL

September 28
Hui O Ho’ohonua
Kapapapuhi Point Park
Ewa Beach, Oʻahu, HI

September 28
Alliance for the Great Lakes
Perkins Beach
Cleveland, OH

September 28
Clean Ocean Access
Pheasant Drive
Portsmouth, RI

September 28
Washington State University Extension
Joseph Whidbey State Park
Oak Harbor, WA


Can't make it to a listed cleanup? Organize your own and use the Marine Debris Tracker!

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Website & Blog

2019 International Coastal Cleanup

ICC Kingman Island

Join us at the International Coastal Cleanup (Photo: NOAA).

The International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) is coming up on Saturday, September 21st! This global event, hosted by the Ocean Conservancy in partnership with NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, is an opportunity for us to take on marine debris before it can further impact our environment. Every year during the ICC, volunteers gather around the world to tackle one of the most widespread pollution problems facing our ocean and Great Lakes: marine debris. You can find an event near you on the Ocean Conservancy’s interactive map.

Learn More


14 New Marine Debris Projects

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Check out our newly awarded projects (Photo: NOAA).

Following a highly competitive review process, the NOAA Marine Debris Program is pleased to announce the 14 recipients of our 2019 removal and research grant awards. These are community-based projects that improve ecological resources through the removal of marine debris, as well as hypothesis-driven research projects that improve our understanding of the ecological risks associated with marine debris and the fate and transport of debris in nearshore, coastal environments.

Learn More


2020 Calendar Now Available

2020 Marine Debris Calendar

Download the 2020 Marine Debris Calendar on our website now! (Cover art by contest winner Jennie C., Grade 8, Massachusetts).

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is excited to announce that our 2020 Marine Debris Calendar is now available for download! This year’s calendar features artwork from thirteen students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade, all winners of the “Keep the Sea Free of Debris” art contest.

Learn More


Keep Lunches Debris Free

Zero waste lunch

Skip the single-use items and reach for reusable alternatives (Photo: NOAA).

As the summer closes and students head back to school, take a moment to consider your lunch choices, including the items you pack in your lunches or purchase in a cafeteria. With just a few simple changes, you can prevent your lunch waste from becoming marine debris.

Learn More


What Goes Up, Must Come Down

Balloon Andy Sullivanhaskins / Hawaii Department of Lands and Natural Resources

A researcher holds up balloon debris and entangled baby albatross on Kure Atoll, part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (Photo: Andy Sullivan-Haskins/Hawaii Department of Lands and Natural Resources).

Balloons are often used during special occasions as decorations and gifts, and are sometimes intentionally released into the air. Unfortunately, once they go up, they must also come down. Balloons that are released into the air don’t just go away, they make their way back down, or rise until they pop and fall back to Earth where they can create a lot of problems.

Learn More