Assessment of Marine Debris in the Mid-Atlantic...2017/01/11  · MARCO state, Delaware River cleanups in PA can influence debris abundance in New Jersey and Delaware. Some of the

AssessmentofMarineDebrisintheMid-AtlanticDelaware,Maryland,NewJersey,NewYorkandVirginia

1

ThisdocumentwasproducedwithcontributionsfromNicoleRodi(DNREC),LauraMcKay(VDEQ),

KathleenM.Register(CleanVirginiaWaterways),andKaityGoldsmith(MARCO).

TheMid-AtlanticRegionalCouncilontheOcean(MARCO)recognizesthatinformationonmarinedebrisisrapidlyevolving;continuedreviewisimportanttounderstandthesystemsaffectedbymarinedebrismanagementandresearchefforts.TheinformationinthisreportwillinformMARCOactivities,butnothinginthisdocumentshouldbeconstruedasaMARCOendorsementorMARCOpolicy.Wehopethatothersfindtheinformationinthisreportusefultotheirmarinedebrisefforts.FundingforthisprojectwasthroughDelawareCoastalManagementProgramusingFederalfundsunderawardNA15NOS4190166fromtheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration(NOAA),U.S.DepartmentofCommerce(DOC).Thestatements,findings,conclusions,andrecommendationsdonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsofNOAAortheDOC.

2

TableofContentsBackground..................................................................................................................................................3

TrendsOverTimeintheMid-Atlantic......................................................................................................5

ComparisonbetweenStates....................................................................................................................7

CauseforConcern..................................................................................................................................10

PolicyAnalysis............................................................................................................................................11

CigaretteButts.......................................................................................................................................11

ConsumerPlastics..................................................................................................................................13

PlasticBags.........................................................................................................................................13

PlasticBeverageBottles.....................................................................................................................15

CapsandLids......................................................................................................................................15

FoodWrappersandContainers.............................................................................................................16

Balloons..................................................................................................................................................17

Microplastics..........................................................................................................................................18

MicrobeadFreeWatersActof2015..................................................................................................19

DerelictFishingGear..............................................................................................................................19

NOAAMid-AtlanticMarineDebrisReductionWorkshop..........................................................................20

DerelictFishingGear..............................................................................................................................20

ConsumerDebris....................................................................................................................................21

Conclusions................................................................................................................................................22

GapsinInformation................................................................................................................................22

ProjectIdeas...........................................................................................................................................23

Bibliography...............................................................................................................................................24

3

BackgroundThisreportisaninitialassessmentofmarinedebrisinthefivestateMARCOregionanda

compilationofhighlightsfromtheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministrationMarineDebris

ReductionWorkshopforDelaware,D.C.,MarylandandVirginiaheldinJune2015(NationalOceanicand

AtmosphericAdministrationMarineDebrisProgram,2015).Marinedebrisandcoastallitterisbecoming

aglaringlyobviousindicatorofincreasedworldconsumption,population,andneglectforthe

environment.TheUnitedStateshastakenaleadroleinreducingmarinedebrisandonshoremarine

litterthroughmanygovernmentandNGOinitiatives.Marinedebrishasslowlybecomeahotbutton

issuebecauseofitshighlyvisibleandabundantpresenceinthemarineenvironment.OneofMARCO’s

sharedregionalprioritiesiswaterqualitywhichhighlightsoceanacidificationandmarinedebris

initiatives.

Since1986,theInternationalCoastalCleanup(ICC)hasbeenleadingvolunteersonacrusadeto

cleantheworldwaterwaysandoceans.Inadditiontoremovingtrashandlitterfromstreams,rivers,

beachesandcoastalwaters,volunteersalsocollectdataaboutwhattheyfind.Thedatausedtoanalyze

marinedebrisintheregionaregatheredbytheICCthroughlarge-scalevolunteerefforts(Ocean

Conservancy,2013)(Fig.1).Dataareavailabletothepublicfortheyears2008-2015.Thoughthedata

collectedbytheICCarerobust,spanningmanyyearsforalargegeographicrange,theyareonlya

snapshotofmarinedebristrendsandcollectioneffortshappeningintheregion.TheICCdoesnot

accountforvolunteereffortasameasureoftimespentoneachbeach;italsodoesnotrequireaspecific

methodologyfordatacollectionandcleaning.Forthisreason,itisalsoimportanttolookatother

Figure1

Mapofthe5MARCOstatesplusPennsylvania(PA)and

thelocationsoftheInternationalCoastalCleanupused

tocollectthedata.ThoughPennsylvaniaisnota

MARCOstate,DelawareRivercleanupsinPAcan

influencedebrisabundanceinNewJerseyand

Delaware.Someofthedotsonthemaprepresent

multiplecleanupevents.

NY

NJMD

DE

VA

4

valuabledatasourcessuchastheNationalMarineDebrisMonitoringProgram(NMDMP)(Sheavly,

2007).

TheEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyalongwiththeOceanConservancydevelopedthe

NMDMPafteraseriesofpilotstudiesthatevaluatedthebestmethodologyforcollectingmarinedebris

monitoringdata.Theprogramwascreatedtostandardizemarinedebrismonitoringmethodology

leadingtomorestatisticallyvaliddatacollection.TheNMDMPusedindicatoritemstotrackchangesin

debrisabundancefromland-based,ocean-based,andgeneral-sourceitemsoveraperiodoffiveyears

from2001-2006.ForthestudytheUnitedStateswassplitintonineregionsand20beacheswerechosen

ineachregion;region2encompassedtheNortheast/Mid-AtlanticfromSouthofCapeCod,MAto

Beaufort,NC(Sheavly,2007).Therewere13sitesinthemonitoringstudyfoundonMARCOstate

beaches:

SITE6HitherHillsStatePark,NY

SITE7WesthamptonBeach,NY

SITE8RobertMosesStatePark,NY

SITE9JonesBeachStatePark,NY

SITE10GatewayNationalRecreationArea,NJ

SITE11IslandBeachStatePark,NJ

SITE12CapeHenlopenStatePark,DE

SITE13FenwickIslandStatePark,DE

SITE14DelawareSeashoreStatePark,DE

SITE15Strathmere,NJ

SITE16ChincoteagueIslandNationalWildlife

Refuge,VA

SITE17BackBayNationalWildlifeRefuge,VA

SITE21BradleyBeach,NJ

From2001to2006theNMDMPfoundasignificantincreaseofindicatoritemsfromland-based,

ocean-basedandgeneralsourceitems.Theincreaseofgeneral-sourceitemswas30.2%annuallyand

includeditemssuchasplasticbeveragebottles(13.8%)andsmallplasticbags(7.7%).Land-based

sourcesincreasedby24.2%annuallyandincludedindicatoritemssuchasstraws(39.4%),balloons

(7.7%),andcottonswabs(5.9%)(Sheavly,2007).

ThoughtheNMDMPmonitoringisnolongeroccurringintheMid-Atlantictheguidelinesset

forthbytheEPAandOceanConservancycanservetohelpstandardizefuturemarinedebrismonitoring

surveys.ItisalsoimportanttonotethattheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration(NOAA)

hasalsodevelopedmethodologyforstandardizedshorelinemonitoringandcleanup

(http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/ShorelineFieldGuide2012.pdf).Asstatedbefore,the

datagatheredbytheICCfrom2008to2013willbeusedinthisreporttofindinitialgeneraltrendsof

marinedebrisintheMid-Atlantic.

TheICCisorganizedworldwidebytheOceanConservancy.Inthemid-Atlantic,theICCis

organizedby:

Delaware:DelawareDepartmentofNaturalResources&EnvironmentalControl

Maryland:GeriSchlenoff-Independent

NewJersey:CleanOceanActionandAdoptaBeachprogram(runbytheNJCleanCommunitiesCouncil)

NewYork:AmericanLittoralSociety

5

Virginia:CleanVirginiaWaterwaysofLongwoodUniversity

TrendsOverTimeintheMid-AtlanticAccordingtoICCdata,from2008-2015theregionhad156,878volunteersclean5,500milesof

coastandcollectover3.7millionpoundsofdebris(Ocean Conservancy, 2013).Cigarettebuttsshowaverydrasticdipinnumbercollectedduringthe2011collectionyear(Figure2).Thiscouldpossiblylinkto

increasedsmokingbansonoutdoorpublicplacessuchasbeachesandparksintheentireMid-Atlantic

regionduringthistimeframe.Thetrendcouldhavealsobeeninfluencedbyextremeweatherandrain

events;thecleanupin2011occurredonlyafewdaysafterHurricaneIrene.In2013,theICCchangedthe

datacollectionprocessandregroupedsomeofthesecategories.Forexample,thecategoryoffood

wrappersandcontainersinthe2008-2012dataissplitintomultiplecategoriesin2013-2015including:

foodwrappers(candy,chips,etc.),takeout/awaycontainers(foam),andtakeout/awaycontainers

(plastic);theICCdoesnotprovidealistofhowcategoriesweremergedordividedbetweenthedata

priortoandafter2013.Foodwrappers(candy,chips,etc.)didmakethetoptenlistfor2013-2015as

wellas2008- 2012(table1).

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

ItemsCollected(Thousands)

Year

Top10DebrisItemsCollectedduringtheICC,

2008-2015

Bags(Plastic)

BeverageBottles(Glass)

BeverageBottles(Plastic)

BeverageCans

Caps,Lids

CigaretteButts

FoamPieces

FoodWrappers/Containers

PlasticPieces

Figure2

Thegraphdetailsthetoptendebrisitemsfrom2008-2015.Notablythecategoriesofbags,capsandlids,andfood

wrappersandcontainersareremovedasindividualcategoriesfromtheICCafter2012,andarereplacedbyplasticpieces

andfoampiecescategoriesin2013(TheOceanConservancy,2013).

6

2008-2012 2013-2015

CigaretteButts CigaretteButts

Caps,Lids FoamPieces

FoodWrappers/Containers PlasticPieces

BeverageBottles(Plastic) FoodWrappers(candy,chips,etc.)

Bags(Plastic) BottleCaps(Plastic)

Straws,Stirrers BeverageBottles(Plastic)

Cups,Plates,Forks,Knives,Spoons GlassPieces

BeverageCans Straws,Stirrers

BeverageBottles(Glass) BeverageCans

PaperBags GroceryBags(Plastic)

TheMid-Atlantichasseenan

amazingamountofvolunteerparticipation

overthepast8yearsofcollectiondata.The

ICChasbeenleadingvolunteercoastal

cleanupsfor30years;giventhesteady

participationoftwentythousand

volunteersayearintheregion,theMid-

Atlanticregionhasdependedonoverhalfa

millionvolunteerstocleanbeachesafter

beachseasonoverthepast3decades.The

distancecleanedduringtheICChas

fluctuatedbetween500and800milesof

coastlinecleanedayear.Thedatareflected

inFigure3containsdatafrominland

waterwaysthatflowintobaysandocean

waters,aswellasoceanandbayfacing

shorelines.Volunteerscleaninland

waterwayssuchastheAnacostiaRiverand

LakeErie;therefore,thisdataisnot

reflectiveofonlytheoceanfacingshoreline

(Fig.1)

Thematerialseenmostoften

duringtheICCintheMid-Atlanticisplastic

(83%)(Fig.4).Notsurprisinglyplasticis

alsothemostcommontypeofmarine

debrisfoundintheUS,andscientists

Table1

ToptencollecteddebrisitemsduringtheInternationalCoastalCleanup

overthepast8yearsweresplitintotwotimeframesduetochangesin

datacollectionandprocessing.

Figure3(a)and(b)

OnaveragetheMid-Atlanticcleans800milesofbeachayear(a)andthe

regionhasmaintainedasteadyrateofvolunteerism(b)overthepast

sevenyears.(TheOceanConservancy,2013).

b

a

7

estimatethat80percentofdebristhataccumulatesonshoreandintheoceanisplastic(Wabnitzand

Nichols,2010).The16percentofnon-plasticwasterepresentscategoriesthathadspecifiedmaterial

typessuchasmetalbottlecaps,rope,paperbagsandglasspieces.Theonepercentofunspecified

materialfoundincludesthecategoriesoffishingbuoys,pots&traps,andforks,knives,spoons;these

categoriesdidnotspecifymaterialtypenorcouldtheybeeasilyassumed.

ComparisonbetweenStates TheMid-Atlanticisaverydiverseregion,hometomanylargecoastalmetropolitanareasanda

varietyofcoastalandoceanenvironmentswhichbringdiverseenvironmentalconcerns.ManyMARCO

stateshaveindividualprioritiesbecauseoftheregion’sassortedecosystemsandlandusepractices,

thereforeitisimportanttounderstandtheissuesofconsumerdebrisandhowtheyrelateonastateby

statebasis.Comparingthetopfiveitemscollectedineachstate,cigarettebuttsrankthehighestin

everystateexceptMaryland(Fig.5).Marylandhascollectedasignificantlyhigheramountoffoam

piecesthananyotherstateintheregionaswellasalargeamountofplasticpieces.

1%

83%

16%

MaterialTypeintheMid-Atlantic,ICC

2015

Unspecified Plastic Non-Plastic

Figure4

Intheregionplasticsmakeup83percentofthedebrisfoundlitteringshorelines.Onlyonepercentis

unspecifiedmaterial,whichincludesfishingbuoys,pots&traps,andforks,knives,spoons(TheOcean

Conservancy,2013).

8

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

DE MD NJ NY VA

PoundsCollected

(Millions)

PoundsCleaned,ICC2008-

2015

Figure5

Thetopfiveitemsofdebriscollectedincludethreecategoriesofconsumerdebrisandtwomicroplasticcategories.Only

theyearsof2013-2015wereusedduetochangesindatarecordingmethodsin2013.Thedatareflectsthediversityof

regionaldebrisandtheabundanceofcigarettebuttsfoundinmoststates.Thischartdoesnotaccountforamountof

shorelineperstateonwhichmarinedebriswascollected(TheOceanConservancy,2013).

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

DE MD NJ NY VA

NumberofItems

(Millions)

NumberofItemsCollected,ICC

2008-2015

VirginiacollectedthegreatestweightofdebrisofallfiveMARCOstates;however,examiningthe

numberofdebrisitemscollectedshowsthatVirginiaiscomparabletootherstateswhileNewYorkhas

collectedahighnumberofitems(Fig.6(a)and(b)).ThistrendsuggeststhatthedebrisVirginiais

cleaningupismuchheavierthandebrisNewYorkiscollecting.Theseresultscouldpointtothe

aquacultureindustry;Virginiahasagreatamountofclamandoysteraquacultureandclamnetsget

washedonshoreregularly.Whennetsandropearefoundasdebrisitemsonbeachestheyaretypically

0 50 100 150 200 250

DE

MD

NJ

NY

VA

ThousandsofItems

Satte

Top5ItemsCollectedintheMid-Atlantic,

2013-2015

PlasticPieces

FoodWrappers(candy,chips,

etc.)

FoamPieces

CigaretteButts

BottleCaps(Plastic)

Figure6

NewYorkhadthemostnumberofitemscollectedoverthepastsevenyears(a);however,Virginiahadthehighestnumber

ofpoundsofitemscollected(b)(TheOceanConservancy,2013).

a b

9

heavyfromwaterloggingandbiofouling.IncontrastNewYorkhasthemostitemscollectedwhichcould

belinkedtothelargenumberofcigarettebuttscollected,approximately150thousand,greaterthanall

otherMid-AtlanticStates.Thedatawasnormalizedbycalculatingeffortusingpoundsofdebriscollected

pervolunteer(Fig.7).MarylandandVirginiahadthegreatestamountofeffortfromtheirvolunteers,

averagingover40and50poundsperpersonrespectively.Calculatingeffortperpersonconsidersthe

mileswalkedaswellasthehoursspentcleaningandthereforeisthemostefficientandaccuratewayto

calculateeffortwiththedataprovided.Thetrendscouldbecorrelatedtotheintensecleanupassociated

withtheAnacostiaRiverinWashingtonD.C.TheAnacostiaRiverisknowntobeheavilypollutedwith

consumerdebris.

AnothermethodusedtounderstandthevalueoftheICCwascalculatingthemonetaryvalueof

thevolunteers.TheICCdoesnotcollectdataonhoursspentduringthecleanup,thereforethisvalue

hadtobecalculated;Itisestimatedthatistakesanadult,walkingatanaveragepace,20minutesto

walkonemile.Usingthisfigure,hourswereascertainedfrommileagedataandmonetaryvaluewas

calculatedusingstateminimumwage(VolunteersX(milesXminutes)Xstateminimumwage=monetary

valueofvolunteers’time).IfMARCOstatesweretopayICCvolunteersaminimumwagetocleanthe

Mid-Atlanticbeaches,thestateswouldspendonaverageacombined$229,280cleaningthecoastline

eachyear.Extrapolatedoverthelastsevenyearsitwouldhavecostover$1.5million.Theseestimates

areconservativebecauseittypicallytakeslongertowalkonsandandvolunteersareconstantlystopping

topickupdebris.UsingthesamehourlyestimateandtheIndependentSectorNationalValueof

VolunteerTime(https://www.independentsector.org/volunteer_time)theMid-Atlanticwouldhave

spentover$700,000on2015’sonedaycleanupandalmost$5millionoverthelastsevenyears.The

Figure7

VirginiaandMarylandhadvolunteersshowthegreatestamountofefforttocleanthe

shorelines.Effortwascalculatedusingthepoundsofdebriscollectedperperson;this

methodfactoredinbothtimespentanddistancewalked(TheOceanConservancy,2013).

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

DE MD NJ NY VA

PoundsperVolunteer

State

VolunteerEffort,ICC2008-2015

10

IndependentSector’s“valueofvolunteertimeisbasedonhourlyearningsofnon-supervisoryworkers

onprivatenon-farmpayrolls”(IndependentSector,2016).BothofthesefiguresrepresentICCcleanup

efforts,nottheentiretyofeffortneededtocleanalldebrisfromthewholeMid-Atlanticcoastline.

CauseforConcern Consumerdebrismayseemsmallandharmlesstohumans,however,intheocean,consumer

debrisassmallasabottlecapcancausedeath.AccordingtoNOAA’sMarineDebrisProgram,thereare

twocommonwaysmarineorganismscanbeharmedbymarinedebris:entanglementandingestion

(NOAAMarineDebrisProgram,2014a&2014b).Animalscangetentangledinderelictfishinggearand

ropes,aswellsasaggregatesofplasticfloatingonthesurfaceoftheocean.Entanglementinplastic

filamentcanleadtodecreasedswimmingability,lifethreateninginjuries,disruptioninfeedingactivity

andevendeathbydrowning(NOAAMarineDebrisProgram,2014a).

Ingestionofconsumerdebris,commonamongseaturtles,marinemammals,andavianspecies,

tendstohavemoreprolongedeffects.Ingestionofhardandsharpplasticobjectscanleadtolacerations

andlesionsintheintestines,causingmalnutrition,starvationandinternalbleeding.Theblockageofthe

intestinecanalsoleadtostarvationandmalnutrition,endingmostcertainlyindeath(NOAAMarine

DebrisProgram,2014a).Overtimeconsistentingestionofplasticscancauselargeamountsofplastic

debristostayinthedigestivetracteventuallystarvingtheanimalofvitalnutrientsfromnaturalprey.

Duringthistimetoxinsfromplasticcanbeabsorbedandbuildupinthebodycausingneurological

damage,reproductivefailure,andcancer(Smith,2014).

PlasticgrocerybagsandballoonsareofspecialconcerntotheAtlanticCoastbecauseofthe

largenestingandforagingpopulationsofseaturtlesthatfrequentthewatersoftheAtlanticOcean.

Researchhasfoundthatplasticgrocerybagslooksomuchlikejellyfish,seaturtlesareselectively

ingestingthem(Schuyler,Wilcox,Townsend,Hardesty,&Marshall,2014).Balloonsandplasticbagsget

easilycaughtinaseaturtle’sthroat;thestringsfromtheballooncangetwrappedaroundseaturtles’

flippersandnecks.VirginiaistheonlyMid-Atlanticstateinwhichloggerheadseaturtleshavebeen

knowntonest,butalargeswathofoceanoffthecoastofMaryland,Virginia,Delawareandaportionof

NewJerseyhasbeendesignatedascriticalsargassumhabitatformaturinghatchlingsbytheNational

OceanographicandAtmosphericAssociation,NationalMarineFisheriesService(NOAANMFS)(Fig.8)

(NationalMarineFisheriesService,2014).IntheMid-Atlantic,focusonshorenestingbirdsismuch

greaterthanseaturtles;thebeachesarehometomanymigratoryshorebirdnestinggrounds.Arecent

studyclaimsthatnearlyeveryseabirdspecieswillhaveplasticintheirgutby2050;thescientistshave

alreadyestimatedthat60percentofallseabirdspecieshaveplasticintheirgutandthat90percentof

allseabirdsalivehaveingestedplastic(Wilcox,VanSebille,&Hardesty,2015).Forthesereasons,itis

importanttoreducetheinfluxofconsumerdebrisproductsintocoastalwatersandtheocean.

11

Figure8

CriticalhabitatmapcreatedbyNOAANMFSshowingessentialhabitatsforthreatenedLoggerheadseaturtles.Eventhough

thereisverylittlenestingintheMid-AtlantictherearestillMid-Atlanticcoastalwatersthatwouldbehazardousfor

Loggerheadsifpolluted(NationalMarineFisheriesService,2014).

PolicyAnalysis

CigaretteButtsCigarettebuttsarethesinglemostabundantmarinelitterintheworld(OceanConservancy,

2015).Thefiltersofcigarettesaremadeofplastic,andcontainharmfulchemicalsthatcanleachintothe

water(Novotny,etal.,2011).Thenegativeeffectsofthesechemicalscanpersistintheenvironmentfor

years.Seabirdsareknowntoingestlargeamountsofcigarettebutts,ingestionnotonlyleadsto

chemicaltoxicity,butalsolargeamountsofindigestibleplasticsinthestomachcancauseintestinal

blockage(NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministrationMarineDebrisProgram,2014b).

ManystatesintheMid-Atlantichavepassedsmokingbansonbeachesandpublicparksoverthe

pastfiveyears.Notonlydoesthisimproveairqualityandreducetheriskofsecondhandsmoke,butit

alsohelpskeepcigarettebuttsoffthegroundavoidingingestionbyanimalsandhumans,andkeeping

buttsawayfromtheocean.Belowisalistofbeachesandparkswithsmokingbansforeachstateinthe

Mid-Atlantic.

NewYork

12

• EffectiveMay23,2011,smokingwasbannedinallparks,boardwalks,beaches,recreation

centers,swimmingpoolsandpedestrianplazasinNewYorkCity.

• OnDecember31,2014,abanonoutdoorsmokinginNewYorkparkswasupheldunanimously

byamid-levelcourt,reversingajudgeanddismissingachallengefiledbyasmokers’rights

grouptoregulationspromulgatedbytheOfficeofParks,RecreationandHistoricPreservationin

2013establishingno-smokingareasvariousparksstatewide,includingpopularbeachesandall

ninestateparkswithinNewYorkCity.(NYCParks,n.d.)

*FormoreinformationonsmokinglawsinNewYorkCitygoto

https://www.nycgovparks.org/facility/rules/smoke-free

NewJersey

• Therearemorethan240municipalitiesand12countieswithordinancesinplacethatban

smokinginmunicipalandcountyparks.Additionally,morethanadozenmunicipalitieshavealso

enactedlawstobansmokingonbeaches.

• Pequannock-bannedsmokinginpublicparksorplaygrounds,2011

• SeasidePark-smokingisbannedonallbeachesandboardwalks,2011

• HarveyCedarsandShipBottom-bannedbeachsmokingwhilelifeguardsareonduty,2013

• LongBranchandSunsetBeachinCapeMayCounty-smokefree,2014

• Belmar-smokingisbannedontheboardwalkandonsectionsofitsbeaches,2014

• OceanCity-designatedsmokingareasonitsboardwalk,2015

• VetoedBills

o IntroducedBill1/6/2014:Prohibitssmokingonpropertyacquiredordevelopedfor

recreationandconservationpurposesbylocalgovernmentunitsornonprofit

organizationsusingStatefunds.

o IntroducedBill1/6/2014:ProhibitssmokingatStateparks,forests,beaches,andwildlife

managementareas.

o IntroducedBill1/6/2014:ProhibitssmokingatState-ownedbeaches.

o IntroducedBill1/6/2014:Permitsmunicipalitytoestablishcivilpenaltyforsmokingin

publicplaces.(NewJerseyLegislature-Bills,n.d.)

*TakenfromtheNJstateLegislator,formoreinformationaboutthesebillsgoto

http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillsByKeyword.asp

Virginia

• Smokingnotallowedatstateparks(VirginiaStateParks,n.d.)

FormoreinformationonsmokinglawsinVirginiagotohttp://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-

parks/rules-and-regulations

Maryland

13

• EffectiveMay1,2015,OceanCityhasnewdesignatedsmokingareas

o Areashave22-gallonwastereceptacleslocatedonthebeach15feetofftheBoardwalk.

o Smokingallowedwithin15feetofthewastereceptacle

o TheBoardwalkisasmoke-freezone.

o Thesmokingrulesapplytocigarettes,cigars,pipes,e-cigarettes,andanyothermatter

orsubstancethatcontainstobacco.

o OceanCityBeachPatrolisnotresponsibleforenforcingthesmokingrules

• Smokingisprohibitedinstateparksinareaswherenoticeisposted(SmokingRulesatOcean

City,Maryland,n.d.)

*FormoreinformationaboutthesmokingbaninOceanCityMarylandgoto

http://ococean.com/explore-oc/smoking-rules

Delaware

• StateParks-May,2011“TobaccoFreeZones”

• BethanyBeach-Smokingbannedin2011

• DeweyandFenwickBeach-smokingbannedin2013

• NewCastleshassmokefreeparksandplaygroundssince2011

• Smyrna-smokingbannedwithin25ft.ofpublicspacesin2011

• DelawareCity-smokeFreeparkssince2012

• Dover-smokefreeplaygrounds

• CityofRehobothandRehobothBeach-SmokefreesinceMarch2014

• CityofLewes-smokingbannedatallcitypublicparksandplaygrounds(DelawareStateParks

GeneralInformation,n.d.)

*FormoreinformationaboutTobaccoFreeZonesonstateparkbeachesgoto

http://www.destateparks.com/general_info/tobacco-free.asp

Lawsandregulationssuchasthoselistedabovearethefirststepindecreasingcigarettebutt

abundanceintheocean,howeverlargeemphasisshouldbeplacedonsocialmarketingandanti-litter

campaignsinthefuture.Unfortunately,peopleareconstantlythrowingbuttsoutoftheircarwindows,

thoughmanywhosmokewouldnotconsiderthislittering,thebuttsstillendupinstormwaterdrains

thatcouldleaddirectlytoestuariesandtheocean.

ConsumerPlastics

PlasticBagsPlasticgrocerybagbansgainednationalattentionin2007whenSanFrancisco,CAbanned

plasticbagsinanumberofgrocerystoresaroundthecity.Afteralargenationalpushforplasticgrocery

bagbans,manystates,municipalities,andcountieshaveadoptedbagbanandbagfeeordinances.

Thereareonlyahandfulofstateswithmunicipalitybagbansandfees,includingtwoMARCOstates:

MarylandandNewYork.Also,notableintheregionistheD.C.baglawentitledtheAnacostiaRiver

14

CleanUpandProtectionAct(2009)whichaimstochangeconsumerbehaviorandencouragereusable

bagusetodecreaseplasticgrocerybagpollutionintheAnacostiaRiver(2010 DC B 150).

“DC-BagLaw

TheAnacostiaRiverCleanUpandProtectionAct('BagLaw')requiresallDistrictbusinessesthat

sellfoodoralcoholtochargefivecentsforeachdisposablepaperorplasticcarryoutbag—

whetherornotfoodoralcoholproductsarepurchasedinthestore.

Thebusinessretainsonecent(ortwocentsifitoffersarebatewhencustomersbringtheirown

bag),andtheremainingthreeorfourcentsgotoTheAnacostiaRiverCleanUpandProtection

Fund.Thelawalsorequiresthatreusablepaperandplasticbagsmeetspecificmaterialand

labelingrequirements.”(SkiptheBag,SavetheRiver,n.d.)

*ReprintedfromtheDistrictDepartmentoftheEnvironment,formoreinformationonthebaglawinDCgoto:http://ddoe.dc.gov/bags

“MARYLAND-2ordinancescovering21municipalities.

Chestertown-CityCouncilpassedaplasticbagbanthatwaseffectiveJanuary2012

MontgomeryCounty-MontgomeryCountypassedlegislationeffectiveJanuary2012thatplaces

afive-centchargeoneachpaperorplasticcarryoutbagprovidedbyretailestablishmentsinthe

Countytocustomersatthepointofsale,pickupordelivery.Retailersretainonecentofthefee

andtheremainderwillbedepositedintotheCounty’sWaterQualityProtectionChargeFund.

Therevenueswilleffectivelyshifttheburdenoflitterclean-upcostsfrompublictaxpayersto

consumerswhohaveachoicetoavoidthe5-centchargebybringingreusablebags.

NEWYORK-5ordinancescovering5municipalities.

PlasticBagReduction,ReuseandRecyclingAct(2008NYA11725)Retailersofstoresaretoestablishin-storerecyclingprogramsthatprovideanopportunityfor

thecustomertoreturncleanplasticcarryoutbagstoberecycled.Theplasticcarryoutbags

providedbythestoremusthaveprintedonthem“PleasereturntoaParticipatingStorefor

Recycling.”

EastHampton-PlasticbagbanpassedbytheVillageBoardinJuly2011andeffectiveFebruary

2012.

Larchmont-TheVillageofLarchmontpassedaplasticcheckoutbagbaninMarch2013,

effectiveOctober2013.

Mamaroneck-PlasticbagbanpassedbytheVillageBoardinJuly2012andeffectiveFebruary

2013.

Rye-PlasticbagbanpassedbyCityCouncilinDecember2011andeffectiveMay2012.

Southampton-PlasticbagbanpassedinApril2011andeffectiveNovember2011.”(Surfrider

Foundation,n.d.)(NationalConferenceofstatelegislators,2016)

15

*ReprintedfromSurfriderandNCSL,formorestatebagbansandfeesgoto

http://www.surfrider.org/pages/plastic-bag-bans-feesorhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-

and-natural-resources/plastic-bag-legislation.aspx#bans

ThoughonlytwoMARCOstateshaveexistinglegislationregardingthebanningandfeeingof

plasticgrocerybags,otherstatesintheMid-Atlanticareworkingtopasssimilarlegislation.Forexample,

DelawareStatepassedalawin2009thatrequiredretailstoreswithplasticcarry-outbagstooffer

recyclingreceptaclesforthebagsinstoresandtomarkthebagswithlanguagethatencouraged

recycling(2009DEH15;Amendedby2014DEH198).BagbansandbagfeebillshavebeenconsideredinVirginiaoverthelastfewyears,buthaveyettoresultinpassageofalaw.

PlasticBeverageBottlesPlasticbeveragebottlesareaprominenttypeofplasticconsumerdebristhatplaguesthe

naturalenvironment.AreaswithhighpopulationdensitysuchasLongIsland,NYandWilmington,DE

seealargeabundanceofbottlesincityadjacentwaterbodies.Thoughwholeplasticbottlesarenot

typicallyingestedbymarineanimals,therearestillmajorimplicationstoplasticbottlesintheocean,

namelyfragmentation(Barnes,Galgani,Thompson,&Barlaz,2009).Fragmentationofplasticinthe

oceanoccurswhensunlightcausesmoleculestosplitinaprocesscalledphotodegredation(Barnes,

Galgani,Thompson,&Barlaz,2009).Thefragmentedpiecesofplastichavemanyfatesincluding

ingestionbyanimals,whichincludesmallermarinecreatures,suchasbirds,fishandinvertebrates,as

wellasbecomingmicroplasticsthathavethepotentialtoleachharmfulchemicalsintotheenvironment.

Therehasbeenanefforttoreducelitter,easeburdenonsolidwastefacilities,andencourage

recyclingactivityamongsomestatesthroughtheintroductionofa“BottleBill”.NewYorkStateisthe

onlyMARCOstatewitha“BottleBill”thatrequiresretailstorestoprovidefacilitiesforbottlereturnand

a5centperbottledepositrate(2013NYH.202).TheStateofDelawarerepealedtheir“BottleBill”

legislationin2009andreplaceditwiththeUniversalRecyclingLawwhichstatesrecyclingbinsand

regularrecyclingcollectionwillbeprovidedtoallsingle-familyhomesandbottlesthatformerlycarried

the5-centrefundabledepositthenchangedintoa4-centrecyclingfee.

CapsandLidsAllplasticbeveragebottlesareaccompaniedbycapsorlids,andthoughthebeveragebottle

(plastic#2)itselfcaneasilyberecycled,notallrecyclingfacilitiessupportbottlecaprecycling(plastic#5)

(Earth911,2015).Recently,scientistsandphotographerChrisJordanventuredtoMidwayIslandinthe

Pacifictodocumentthedeathofalbatrossrelatedtotheconsumptionofplastic(Jordan,2014).Multiple

bottlecapswerefoundinthestomachcontentofmanyofthedeceasedbirds,leadingtoadisturbing,

yeteyeopeningrealizationthatanimals,specificallyalbatrossareingestinglargemagnitudesofplastic

bottlecapsonaregularbasis(Jordan,2014).

Tofindwhatlocalrecyclingfacilitiesrecycleplasticbottlecapsgoto

http://search.earth911.com/?what=%235+Plastic+Caps.

16

ToviewatrailerforthemovieMidway,documentingthescientistsandChrisJordan’stimeonthe

island,gotohttp://blog.oceanconservancy.org/2013/03/28/midway-film-tells-story-of-plastics-in-our-

ocean-through-plight-of-albatross/

FoodWrappersandContainersAnotherextremelyabundanttypeofconsumerdebrisfoundonbeachesandinwaterways

especiallyclosetohighlypopulatedareasarefoodwrappers.Forthesimpleconvenienceofeveryday

life,mostfoodcomesprepackagedinplastic.Plasticisdurableandlightweight;itcankeepfoodfresh

fordecades.Unfortunately,mostoftheplasticusedtopackagefoodisdifficulttorecycleandisnot

reusable.Itemssuchasindividualcandywrappersorpotatochipbagswithamylarlining,plasticbags

thatareusedtopackagefood,andcardboardorpaperboardwithoilstainsfromfood(e.g.pizzaboxes)

arenotrecyclable(Earth911,2015).Eventuallytheseproductsmaketheirwaytoalandfillwherethey

canbeeasilyblownintonearbyestuariesandwaterways.

Averyspecifictypeoffoodcontainertypicallyusedatrestaurantsforcarry-outispolystyrene

(Styrofoam).Polystyrenecannotberecycled.BelowaretwolawsinMARCOstatesthatban

polystyrene.

“NEWJERSEY

Rahway(1997)CityordinancebansretailfoodvendorslocatedwithintheCityofRahway

fromselling,givingorprovidingeatingutensilsorfoodcontainerstoanyconsumerwithin

theCityofRahwayifsaideatingutensilorfoodcontaineriscomposedofpolystyreneor

polyvinylchloride.

NEWYORK

AlbanyCounty(2014)Countylegislatorspassedanexpandedpolystyrenebanforchain

restaurantswith15ormorelocationsnationwide.PassedinNovember2013andeffective

May2014.

CityofGlenCove(1988)Cityordinancebanningalltypesofpolystyrenefoodwareat

restaurants.

NewYorkCity(2015)Cityordinancebanningalltypesofpolystyrenefoodwareandfoam

packagingpeanuts.”(SurfriderFoundation,n.d.)

*TakenfromSurfrider,formorepolystyreneordinancesgotohttp://www.surfrider.org/pages/polystyrene-ordinances

MARYLAND

MontgomeryCountybannedfoamfoodpackagingatrestaurantsandthesaleoffoamfood

packagingandpackingpeanutseffectiveJanuary2016(Lawson,2015).

PrinceGeorge’sCountyeffectivelypassedabillbanningpolystyrenefoamfoodcontainers

andpackingmaterialfordistributionorsaleatrestaurantsandretailersinJuly2016

(Lawson,2015).

17

DC

TheDistrictbannedfoamfoodpackagingatrestaurantseffectiveJanuary2016.

*FormoreaboutpolystyrenebansinMarylandgotohttps://trashfreemaryland.org/2015/04/29/we-

passed-the-foam-trifecta/

BalloonsBalloonsarenothighlightedonthetoptenlistofdebrisitemsfortheworld,country,orregion

however,balloonsareaverydangeroustypeofmarinedebristhatdeserveattention.Balloonshavealso

beenchosenasafocusofVirginia’sMarineDebrisReductionPlanresearch(Register&McKay,2014).

Balloonsrepresentasmallsubsetofdebristhatbecomeslitterintentionally.Manyofthe

balloonsfoundintheoceanarereleasedforceremonialpurposes.Manypeoplewhotakepartinthese

balloonreleasesareunawareofthenegativeharmfulaffectballoonscanhaveonwildlife.Though

balloonsdonotmakeupalargeproportionoftheICCnumbers,theyareahighconcernitembecauseof

animalentanglementandingestion.Thoughmanybelievelatexballoonswillbiodegradequickly,ittakes

manyyearsforthemtobreakdown.Mylarballoonsaremadeofplasticanddonotbiodegradeinthe

environment.

Balloonsalesandmanufacturingarehardtoregulatebecausethepublicassociatesballoons

withhappytimesandoftheemotionalandspiritualconnectionpeoplehavewhentheyrelease

balloons.However,oneMARCOstatewasabletoregulatemassreleasesofballoons.

“VIRGINIA

§29.1-556.1.Releaseofcertainballoonsprohibited;civilpenalty.

A.Itshallbeunlawfulforanypersontoknowinglyreleaseorcausetobereleasedintothe

atmospherewithinaone-hourperiodfiftyormoreballoonswhichare(i)madeofa

nonbiodegradableornonphotodegradablematerialoranymaterialwhichrequiresmore

thanfiveminutes'contactwithairorwatertodegradeand(ii)inflatedwithasubstance

whichislighterthanair.Anypersonwhoviolatesthissectionshallbeliableforacivil

penaltynottoexceedfivedollarsperballoonreleasedabovetheallowablelimit,whichshall

bepaidintotheLifetimeHuntingandFishingEndowmentFundestablishedpursuantto§

29.1-101.1.

B.Theprovisionsofthissectionshallnotapplyto(i)balloonsreleasedbyoronbehalfofany

agencyoftheCommonwealth,ortheUnitedStatesorpursuanttoacontractwiththe

Commonwealth,theUnitedStates,oranyotherstate,territoryorgovernmentforscientific

ormeteorologicalpurposesor(ii)hotairballoonsthatarerecoveredafterlaunch.(1991,c.

607.)

MARYLAND

In2004,theMarylandlegislatureconsidered,butdidnotpassthefollowingbill(HouseBill

1029)

18

ANACTconcerning

CriminalLaw-Large-ScaleBalloonRelease-Penalty

FORthepurposeofprohibitingapersonfromknowinglyreleasingorcausingtobereleased

intheoutdoorsacertainnumberofcertainballoonsaspartofapublicorcivicevent,

promotionalactivity,orproductadvertisement;establishingacertainpenaltyforaviolation

ofthisAct;andgenerallyrelatingtotheprohibitionagainstalarge-scaleballoonrelease.

SECTION1.BEITENACTEDBYTHEGENERALASSEMBLYOFMARYLAND,ThattheLawsof

Marylandreadasfollows:

Article-CriminalLaw

(A)APERSONMAYNOTKNOWINGLYRELEASEORCAUSETOBERELEASEDINTHE

OUTDOORS20ORMOREBALLOONSTHATAREFILLEDWITHAGASLIGHTERTHANAIRAS

PARTOFAPUBLICORCIVICEVENT,ROMOTIONALACTIVITY,ORPRODUCTADVERTISEMENT.

(B)APERSONWHOVIOLATESTHISSECTIONISGUILTYOFAMISDEMEANORANDON

CONVICTIONISSUBJECTTOAFINENOTEXCEEDING$500.

SECTION2.ANDBEITFURTHERENACTED,ThatthisActshalltakeeffectOctober1,2004.

(NOTE:BILLDIDNOTPASS,ANDISNOTINEFFECTASOFJULY2004)”(CleanVirginia

Waterways,n.d.)

*TakenfromCleanVirginiaWaterways,formoreinformationregardingballoonreleaselawsintheUS

gotohttp://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/BalloonLaws.html

MicroplasticsMicroplasticsandmicrofibersarebecominganimportantpartofmarinedebrisresearch.These

smallfragmentsofplasticorplasticpelletscanbeingestedbyfilterfeeders,suchasmollusks,baleen

whales,andcopepods(Smith,2014).Therearealargeamountoftoxiccompoundsusedtomake

plastics;plasticsalsohavetheabilitytoabsorborganiccontaminantslikeDDTandPCBsintheocean.

Researchisshowingabioaccumulationofthesechemicalsupthefoodchain,indicatingthateven

humansareingestingpossiblyharmfulpersistentorganicpollutantsthatcouldcauseendocrine

disruption,mutagenicity,andcarcinogenicity(Smith,2014).

Microplasticsentertheoceaninvariousways,includingaccidentalspillageofsmallplasticresinpellets

usedinfabricatingplasticproducts,referredtoas“nurdles”,andthefragmentationoflargeplastic

itemsintosmallerpiecesovertime(Smith,2014).Microbeadsfoundincosmeticfacialscrubsanddental

whitenersarealsoahugesourceofmicroplasticpollutioninthewater.

MARYLAND

Inthespringof2015,MarylandsignedintolawHB216.Thelawbansplasticmicrobeadsas

aningredientinpersonalcareproducts,requiringmanufacturerstophaseouttheuseof

plasticmicrobeadsby2018andbansthesaleofproductscontainingthembytheendof

19

2019.Marylandpassedthislawbeforethenationalmicrobeadsbanpassedin2015

(Lawson,2015).

*FormoreonMaryland’smicrobeadsbangotohttps://trashfreemaryland.org

MicrobeadFreeWatersActof2015 In2015,congresspassedabilltoamendtheFederalFood,Drug,andCosmeticActtoprohibit

themanufacturingandproductionofrinse-offcosmeticscontainingmicrobeads,includingtoothpaste.

ThebanonmanufacturingmicrobeadcontainingcosmeticsbeginsJuly1,2017andthebanon

distributionbeginsJanuary1,2018.Cosmeticsthatareoverthecounterdrugsaregrantedanextrayear

fortransition(https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1321).

Manypeoplebelievethattheresultofthisbillwillsolvetheissueofmicroplastics,however

microbeadsmakeuponlyasmallproportionofmicroplasticsintheocean.Therearemanyother

sourcesofmicroplastics,suchasthosementionedabove,thatcouldhavegraveimpactsonthe

environmentandnumerouscommerciallyvaluablespeciesoffishandmollusks.

Appendix(A)liststhelocationofPlasticsIndustryTradeAssociationmemberswithheadquarters

inMARCOstates.Therearecountlessothersmallplasticfabricationandmanufacturingplantsinthe

Mid-AtlanticwhichcanbeaccessedonthePlasticsIndustryTradeAssociationsupplierwebsite.

DerelictFishingGearInadditiontotheconsumerdebrisitemsdiscussedabove,thereareothersourcesofmarinedebrissuch

asderelictfishinggear.DerelictfishinggearisaformofmarinedebrisimpactingtheMARCO

watershed–especiallyderelictcrabpots.

TheChesapeakeBayishometothe

largestbluecrabfisheryinthecountry.

Therearethousandsofactivepotsayear

thatbringmillionsofdollarsofrevenueto

thearea.Whenpotlinesareseveredby

boatpropellersorlosetheirbuoysthey

becomederelictbutcontinuetofish.In

recentresearchscientistsattheVirginia

InstituteforMarineScience(VIMS)found

anaverageof28-75derelictbluecrab

trapsperkilometersquaredinthe

Chesapeake(HavensK.,Bilkovic,

Angstadt,&Hershner,2008).The

negativeimpactsofthesetrapsinclude

thecatchof33differentspeciesofnon-

targetanimalsincludingtheendangered

diamondbackterrapin,oystertoadfish,Atlanticcroaker,blackseabass,Americaneel,whiteperch,and

catfish.Thefisherylosesalargeproportionofharvestablecatch,estimatedat900thousandbluecrabs,

Figure2

Deadbluecrabsanddiamondbackterrapinsareoftenfoundinderelict

fishinggear(HavensK.,Bilkovic,Stanhope,&Angstadt,2011).

20

averaging18-20bluecrabspertrapperyear,possiblycostingthefisherycloseto300,000inrevenueper

season(HavensK.,Bilkovic,Stanhope,&Angstadt,2011).Anotherimpactofderelicttrapsishabitat

degradation.Trapscangettossedinstormsanddragalongthebottomdamagingfragilebenthichabitat

(Havensetal.,2008).

NOAAMid-AtlanticMarineDebrisReductionWorkshopInmid-Juneof2015,theNOAAMarineDebrisProgramgatheredscientistsandmanagersfrom

Delaware,D.C.,Virginia,andMarylandtodiscussthefutureofmarinedebrismanagementintheregion

(NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministrationMarineDebrisProgram,2015).Attheworkshop

scientistssharedtheirresearchonmarinedebrisanddiscussedgoalsandstrategiestomanageanarray

ofmarinedebristypes.Derelictfishinggearandconsumerdebriswerebothofhighconcern.Asa

group,participantsbrainstormedgoals,objectivesandstrategiesforeachoffivedebriscategories

(derelictfishinggear,wildlifehabitatimpacts,abandonedorderelictvessels,consumerdebris,and

emergencyresponsetodebris).Workshopparticipantsalsolearnedaboutthegoalsandstrategies

foundintheVirginiaMarineDebrisReductionPlan.Whencomplete,thisplan,thefirstontheEast

Coast,mayserveasamodelortemplateforotherstatesandmaybeexpandedtoincludeNewYorkand

NewJersey.Belowisacompilationofmajorthemesfromtheworkshopdiscussionsaboutderelictgear

andconsumerdebris:

DerelictFishingGear Whofromtheregionisinvolved?

• KirkHavens,VirginiaInstituteofMarineScience

• MattOgburn,SmithsonianEnvironmentalResearchCenter

• WardSlacum,OysterRecoveryPartnership

• DonnaBilkovic,VirginiaInstituteofMarineScience

• Allscientistsareworkingonavarietyofdifferentderelicttrapissueslikenew

technologiesfordoorsandeconomicanalysis.

Goals• Anassessmentoftheentireregionsderelictpotissuesincludingeconomicanalysis

• Reducingimpactsofderelicttrapsbyfocusingoncullingrings

• ReachapercentreductionofimpactsofderelictBlueCrabtraps

• Preventlostgear

• CleanupexistingDFG

UnaddressedIssues• Includingrecreationalgear

• Noresearchonocean-sidetraps

• Howtodecreaseimpactsbeforeastorm

2-5YearStrategies• Educaterecreationalboatersthroughinformalandformaltraining

• Researchandimplementtechnologiesforexcludingdevicesanddoorreleases

• Enforceacrabbingseason

• Removepotsinhotspotareas

• Findlowcostoptionsfordisposalofoldpots

• Rewardpotaccountabilitywithadepositprogram

21

• Collaboratewithwatermen

ConsumerDebrisWhofromtheregionisinvolved?

• InternationalCoastalCleanup-coastalcleanupandmarketing(app)

• CleanVirginiaWaterways-ButtsandBalloons

• TrashFreeMD-Politicsandregulationreform

• BoatU.S.Foundation-Fishinglinecollection

• DCDepartmentofEnvironment-TMDL

• HealthyHarbor-WaterwheelinBaltimore

• VirginiaCoastalZoneManagement-MarineDebrisReductionPlan

• NationalAquarium-Animalentanglement

• ChesapeakeBayFoundation

• AmericanLittoralSociety

• MarineDefenders-NJ

• CleanOceanAction

• CleanMarina

• VirginiaAquarium&MarineScienceCenter

• KeepVirginiaBeautiful

• VirginiaDepartmentofEnvironmentalQuality

• MarylandDepartmentofNaturalResources

• DelawareDepartmentofNaturalResourcesandEnvironmentalControl

• ManyothergovernmentagenciesandNGOs

Goals• Eliminatesingleuse,disposableplasticpackaging

• Educateunderservedcommunities

• Targetedmessaging

• Increasedconsumerdebrislegislation

• Reduceconsumerdebris

• Sustainedbehaviorchange

• Limitwastegeneration

UnaddressedIssues• Microplastics

• Recyclinginnovations

2-5YearStrategies• Socialmarketingtochangebehavior

• Creatingmoreincentives

• Enforcefinesforlittering

• Broadeneducationaboutrecycling

• Strategicwastedisposalactions

• Focusonrefusingtheuseofplastic

• Publicizethegoodworkbeingdonebythegoodguys

• Voluntarysystematicchangeinindustry

• Tapintofunding–Cleanwaterstaterevolvingfund

• Maintainandinstalltrashtraps

• Tapintobusinessmarketingthatwillhelptheirbusinesstoo

22

Attheendoftheworkshopthegrouphighlightedoverarchinggoalsandstrategiesthatincluded:

1. Usingmarketingandeducationtochangepeople’sbehaviorsandreducetheamountof

consumerdebrisenteringtheoceanthroughlandbasedsources.Scientistmustunderstand

socialissuesandbehaviorpatternstocreatefocusedandeffectivemarketingstrategies.

2. Microplastics,thoughafairlynewtrendinresearch,stillhasmanyunansweredquestionsand

needsincreasedattention.

3. Targetededucationofrecreationalboaterstoreduceoccurrenceofseveredbuoylinesand

decreasethenumberofderelicttraps.

4. Researchoninnovationsforderelictpotbycatchreductiondevicesiscrucialfordecreased

environmentalimpactsofderelicttraps.

5. CreateaplantorespondtoandpreventmarinedebrisemergencieslikeSuperStormSandy.

ItisimportantforMARCOtocontinueinvolvementintheNOAAMarineDebrisProgrambecauseit

willfosterregionalpartnershipsandcreatefundingopportunitiesforfuturewaterqualityandmarine

debrisinitiatives.Marinedebrismanagementandresearchisapopularenvironmentaltopicamongthe

generalpublic;gettinginvolvedwithmarinedebriscouldhelppublicizeotherimportantactionstaken

byMARCO.

Conclusions

Itisimportanttonotethatthisdocumentprovidesasnapshotofmarinedebrisissuesand

initiativesoccurringinMARCO’sfivestateregion.TheICCdatausedtoestimateregionaltrendsoverthe

pastsevenyearsiscitizensciencewhichcanbehighlyvariable.Thatbeingsaidthedataarestill

informativeandabletosuggestkeytrendsindebrisstatusovertheyears.

ItisbecomingincreasinglyapparentthatnationaleffortssuchastheICCandNOAAMarine

DebrisProgramneedtobepairedwithregionalmarinedebrisprevention,education,research,and

outreachcoordinationtomakelargerimpactsonmarinedebrisreduction.MARCOisuniquelyqualified

tobecomealeaderofmarinedebrisreductioninitiativesintheMid-Atlanticregionbecauseofthe

ongoingstate,federal,andtribalcommunicationforumthatcurrentlyexists,aswellasMARCO’s

dedicatedstakeholderengagementpriorities.Amarinedebrisprojectfocusedoneducationand

outreachand/orinconveningexpertsfromallaspectsandperspectivesofthetopicmatterwillprovide

muchneededpublicexposureandgiveMARCOanopportunitytoincreaseexpertiseinotheraspectsof

oceanscience.

GapsinInformation

MARCOsoughtexpertisefromOceanConservancyrepresentativesAllisonSchuttes,TrashFree

Seasprogrammanager,andSarahCooley,scienceoutreachmanagerandTrashFreeSeasCoordinator,

togainabetterunderstandingofgapsininformationandknowledgeintheMid-Atlanticregion.

Microplasticreductionresearchandoutreachemergedinthisconversationasanincreasinglyimportant

23

andunderstudiedtopic.Furthermore,therearelargegapsinscientificunderstandingofhow

mircoplasticsareaffectingtheocean.

ProjectIdeas

• FocusonOceanStewardshipforRecreationalBoaters

o Fishinggearandline-linktooceanplanning-userconflicts

o CreatearegionaloutreachcampaignwithtargetedmessagingsimilartowhatVirginiais

doingwithballoons

o Introducenewregionalsignage

o Determineawaytomeasurechangesinbehavior

o PartnerwithBoatUS

o ExpanduponprojectsNOAAisalreadyconductinginNYandNJwithfishinggear

• Designaregionalsocialmarketingcampaign

o researchandimplementasocialmarketingcampaignaimedtoreduceconsumer

plasticsinbeachtownsandcoastalurbanareaswithhighpopulationdensities

o Thesamecampaignandimagesreflectedthroughtheentireregionwillmakethe

campaignmorenoticeableandunderstood

• Encouragemonitoringformicroplasticswithresearchandthecreationofregionalmicroplastic

waterstandards

• Designastudythatlooksathowmarinedebrisaffectsthetourismindustryinthemid-Atlantic

o ThismightnotbeapplicablebecausemanyofthebeachesintheMid-Atlanticare

combeddailytoremovedebrisfortourists;however,sincetourismissuchahugepart

oftheeconomyintheregionitcouldbeaneye-openingstudy

24

BibliographyBarnes,D.K.,Galgani,F.,Thompson,R.C.,&Barlaz,M.(2009).Accumulationandfragmentaionof

plasticdebrisintheglobalenvironments.TheRoyalSociety,1985-1998.

CleanVirginiaWaterways.(n.d.).Legislationregulatingthereleaseofballoons.RetrievedDecember20,

2016,fromhttp://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/BalloonLaws.html

Delaware(State),H.R.(2013).anacttoamendtitle7ofthedelawarecoderelatingtorecyclingand

wastereduction.HouseBillNo.202.Introduced.

Delaware(State),H.A.(2009).AnacttoamendtheDelawarecoderelatingtorecyclingandwaste

reductionintheStateofDelaware.HouseBillNO.15.

DelawareStateParksGeneralInformation.(n.d.).RetrievedDecember20,2016,

fromhttp://www.destateparks.com/general_info/tobacco-free.asp

Earth911.(2015).RecyclingGuide.RetrievedfromEarth911:http://www.earth911.com/recycling-

center-search-guides/

Havens,K.,Bilkovic,D.,Angstadt,K.,&Hershner,C.(2008).Theeffectsofderelictbluecrabtrapson

marineorgansimsinthelowerYorkriver,Virginia.NorthAmericanJournalofFisheries

Managament,1194-1200.

Havens,K.,Bilkovic,D.,Stanhope,D.,&Angstadt,K.(2011).fisheryfailure,unemployedcommercial

fishers,andlostbluecrabpots:Anunexpectedsuccessstory.EnvironmentalScienceandPolicy,

14,445-450.

Jordan,C.(Director).(2014).MidwayMessageFromtheGyre[MotionPicture].

Kershaw,P.,Katsuhiko,S.,Lee,S.,Samseth,J.,Woodring,D.,&Smith,J.(2011).Plasticdebrisinthe

ocean.UnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramme,UNEPYearbook,20-33.

Lawson,J.(2015).MarylandBansMicrobeads!|TrashFreeMaryland.RetrievedDecember20,2016,

fromhttps://trashfreemaryland.org/2015/05/12/maryland-bans-microbeads/

Lawson,J.(2015).Wepassedthefoamtrifecta!|TrashFreeMaryland.RetrievedDecember20,2016,

fromhttps://trashfreemaryland.org/2015/04/29/we-passed-the-foam-trifecta/

NationalConferenceofstatelegislators.(2016).StatePlasticandPaperBagLegislation.

RetrievedDecember20,2016,fromhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-

resources/plastic-bag-legislation.aspx#bans

NationalMarineFisheriesService.(2014).FWSEstablishedcriticalhabitatforloggerheadseaturtlesin

NorthwestAtlanticandGulfofMexico.NOAAFisheries.

25

NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministrationMarineDebrisProgram.(2014a).2014Reportonthe

EntanglementofMarineSpeciesinMarineDebriswithanEmphasisionSpeciesintheUnited

States.SilverSprings,MD.

NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministrationMarineDebrisProgram.(2014b).2014Reportonthe

OccurrenceandHealthEffectsofAnthropogenicDebrisIngesteedbyMarineOrganisms.Silver

Spring,MD.

NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministrationMarineDebrisProgram.(2015).MarineDebris

ReductionPlanningWorkshopforDelaware,Maryland,VirginiaandD.C.Center,Smithsonian

EnvironmentalResearch.Edgewater,MD.

NewJerseyLegislature-Bills.(n.d.).RetrievedDecember20,2016,

fromhttp://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillsByKeyword.asp

NewYorkCityParks,(n.d.).Smoke-FreeParksandBeaches.retrievedDecember20,2016,

https://www.nycgovparks.org/facility/rules/smoke-free

Novotny,T.E.,Hardin,S.N.,Hovda,L.R.,Novotny,D.J.,McLean,M.K.,&Khan,S.(2011).Tobaccoand

cigarettebuttconsumptioninhumansandanimals.TobaccoControl,20(1),i17-i20.

TheOceanConservancy.(2014).TurningtheTideonTrash:Reportfromthe2013InternationalCoastal

Cleanup.WashingtonD.C.

TheOceanConservancy.(2013).InternationalCoastalCleanup2008-2015.DataaccessedfromThe

OceanConservancywebsite:

http://archive.coastalcleanupdata.org/datacollection/index.php?event=locationDashboard&

TheOceanConservancy.(2015).TrashFreeSeas:Reportfromthe2014InternationCoastalCleanup.

WashingtonD.C.

Pallone,F.(2015).H.R.1321-114thCongress(2015-2016):Microbead-FreeWatersActof2015.

Register,K.,&McKay,L.(2014).DevelopingaMarineDebrisReductionPlanforVirginia.VirginiaCoastal

ZoneManagementProgram,DepartmentofEnvironmentalQuality.

Schuyler,Q.A.,Wilcox,C.,Townsend,K.,Hardesty,B.D.,&Marshall,N.J.(2014).MistakenIdentity?

visualsimilaritiesofmarinedebristonaturalpreyitemsofseaturtles.BMCecology,14.

Sheavly,S.B.(2007).NationalMarineDebrisProgram:Finalprogramreport,dataanalysisand

summary.U.SEnvironmentalProtectionAgency.OceanConservancy.

SkiptheBag,SavetheRiver|ddoe.(n.d.).RetrievedDecember20,2016,fromhttp://doee.dc.gov/bags

26

Smith,J.(2014).UNEPYearBook2014emergingissues:Plasticdebrisintheocean.Austin,TX:United

NationsEnvironmentProgramme.

SmokingRulesatOceanCity,Maryland-OCMarylandVacation.(n.d.).RetrievedDecember20,2016,

fromhttp://ococean.com/explore-oc/smoking-rules

SurfriderFoundation.(n.d.).PlasticBagBansandFees.RetrievedDecember20,2016,

http://www.surfrider.org/pages/plastic-bag-bans-fees

SurfriderFoundation.(n.d.).PolystyreneOrdinances.RetrievedDecember20,2016,

fromhttp://www.surfrider.org/pages/polystyrene-ordinances

vanSchagen,S.(2013,March28)."Midway"FilmTellsStoryofPlasticsinOurOceanThroughPlightof

Albatross.OceanConservancy.

VirginiaStateParks.(n.d.).RulesandRegulations.RetrievedDecember20,2016,

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/rules-and-regulations

Wilcox,C.,VanSebille,E.,&Hardesty,B.D.(2015).Threatofplasticpollutiontoseabirdsisglobal,

pervasive,andincreasing.ProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciences.

AppendixA.PlasticIndustryTradeAssociationMembersoftheMid-Atlantic

27

PlasticsIndustryTradeAssociation

1425KStreetNorthwest#500

Washington,DC20005

RigidPlasticsPackagingGroup

BerryPlastics

7447CandlewoodRd

Hanover,MD21076

KlocknerPentaplast

3585KlocknerRd

Gordonsville,VA22942

EastmanSpecialtiesCorporation

10380WortonRd

Chestertown,MD21620

Food,Drug,andCosmeticPackagingMaterialsCommitteeMembers

BASFCorporation

205SJamesSt

Newport,DE19804

DuPont

974CentreRoadChestnutRunPlaza

Wilmington,DE19805

EastmanSpecialtiesCorporation

10380WortonRd

Chestertown,MD21620

Material/ResinSuppliers:

BASFCorporation

DuPont

ExxonMobilChemical

2195NJ-27

Edison,NJ08817

KurehaAmericaInc.

420LexingtonAve#2510

NewYork,NY10170

PackagingConvertersandUsers:

BerryPlastics

PepsiCo

700AndersonHillRd

Purchase,NY10577

SCJohnson

Rahway,NJ07065FBD

FlexibleFilmandBagDivisionCommittee

HeritageBag

2321HighHillRd

Swedesboro,NJ08085

S.C.Johnson

SigmaPlastics

PageAve

Lyndhurst,NJ07071

TrexCompany

402-480McGheeRd

Winchester,VA22603

ResinandAdditiveSuppliers:

RutanPoly

39SidingPl

Mahwah,NJ07430

KurehaAmerica

Processors:

BerryPlastics

HeritageBag

S.C.Johnson

SigmaPlastics

Trex

PharmaceuticalandMedicalDeviceApplicationsCommittee

BASF

AppendixA.PlasticIndustryTradeAssociationMembersoftheMid-Atlantic

28

BerryPlastics

DuPont

EastmanChemical

ITWMedical

ExxonMobil

http://www.plasticsindustry.org/

AppendixB.FundingOpportunities

29

FundingOrganization

Timeline Overview/Description Funding AdditionalComments

NOAA-CommunityBasedMarineDebrisRemoval

Soon-applicationwindowendsinNovember60daywindow

Fundingthatsupportslocallydriven,community-basedmarinedebrispreventionandremovalprojects.Theseprojectsbenefitcoastalhabitat,waterways,andwildlifeincludingmigratoryfish.

1millionforthewholeopportunity-alluscoastandpacificislandprojector2ineachregiongenerally100-200K

Unlesswehavealargeitemwewanttoremove,thenthiswon’tbeagoodgranttotryfor

NOAA-MarineDebrisPrevention,Education,andOutreachPartnership

BeginningofSeptember-Fall

Fundingtosupportactivitiestoeducatethepublicabouttheissueofmarinedebristhat:1)encouragechangesinbehaviortoreduceandaddressmarinedebris;2)developandimplementactivitiestoreduceandpreventmarinedebrisworkingwithstudents,teachers,industries,andthepublic,and,3)engagethepublicinactive,personalparticipation(e.g.asmall-scaleshorelinecleanupwithstudentsorotherhands-onactivities,etc.).Thisgrant’spurposeistoinvolveaudiencesinmeasurablebehaviorchangingactivitiesandlimittheincreaseofmarinedebrisintheworld'soceans.

smallerdollaramounts20-50Kaverage10to12projectsacrossthecountry

10%successrate

NOAA-MarineDebrisResearch

Suspectstherewillbebutdoesn’tknowwhen

Fundingfororiginal,hypothesis-drivenresearchprojectsfocusedonthepersistenceandchemicalimpactsofmarinedebris

NFWF/NOAA-FishingforEnergy

Spring Disposalopportunities:providecollectionbinsatstrategicportsforcommercialfishermentounloadgear;Regulation:collaboratewithstatemanagerstoaddresslegalimpedimentsofderelictfishinggearremoval;TechnologicalInnovation:identify,test,anddeployinnovationstoaddressaccidentalintroductionofderelictfishinggearintothemarineenvironmentandinnovationstoreducetheeffectivenessofgearoncelost;and,OutreachandEducation:educatethepublicabouttheimpactsofderelictfishinggearandFishingforEnergyinitiativestomakemeasurablechange.

recentlyawarded4-lesspredictable20-50Kfishinggearorpracticesrelated

AppendixB.FundingOpportunities

30

EPA-PollutionPrevention(P2)

Spring Grants/cooperativeagreementsthatimplementpollutionpreventiontechnicalassistanceservicesand/ortrainingforbusinessesandsupportprojectsthatutilizepollutionpreventiontechniquestoreduceand/oreliminatepollutionfromair,waterand/orland.

EPA-CleanWaterStateRevolvingFund

Ongoing Programsprovided,onaverage,morethan$5billionannuallytofundwaterqualityprotectionprojectsforwastewatertreatment,nonpointsourcepollutioncontrol,andwatershedandestuarymanagement

EPA-EnvironmentalEducation

EarlyWinter/Spring

Supportenvironmentaleducationprojectsthatpromoteenvironmentalawarenessandstewardshipandhelpprovidepeoplewiththeskillstotakeresponsibleactionstoprotecttheenvironment.Thisgrantprogramprovidesfinancialsupportforprojectsthatdesign,demonstrate,and/ordisseminateenvironmentaleducationpractices,methods,ortechniques.

EPA-TrashFreeWaters

Ongoing Federal-StatePartnershipthathelpsconquerthatwaterquality