![]() ![]() federal government’s lead agency for addressing marine debris, which includes at-sea sources such as derelict vessels and abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG). While EPA’s Trash Free Waters program primarily focuses on aquatic trash prevention and removal, the program also supports beach and watershed cleanups to remove marine debris. Anything human-made and solid can become marine debris once lost or littered in these aquatic environments.” Aquatic trash becomes marine debris, or marine litter, once it reaches the ocean.Īccording to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “ Marine debris is defined as any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes. Once in the environment, trash can travel long distances via wind, stormwater conveyances, streams, and rivers (visit the Last Stop: The Ocean website to learn more about the journey of litter). Cigarette butts, plastic bottles, and food wrappers were the top three items collected on beaches in 2020. Top ten items collected on beaches in the 2020 International Coastal Cleanup. Additionally, trash can blow out of overfilled trash bins or off of trash collection vehicles. Illegal dumping of household waste may be more common if there is a lack of regular trash pickup services or publicly available dumpsters. Trash also enters waterways as a result of illegal dumping in or near waterways. ![]() Cigarette butts contain plastic that will remain in the environment for many years. For example, a cigarette butt tossed on the ground might wash into a storm drain and travel through the stormwater system, which in some cases, leads directly into waterways. When garbage is littered on the ground rather than placed in a recycle, compost, or trash bin, rain and wind often carries it into storm drains, streams, canals, and rivers. Garbage can easily become aquatic trash if it is not properly disposed of or securely contained. rivers, lakes, streams, and creeks as “aquatic trash.” Most of the garbage that ends up in waterways comes from land-based activities. EPA’s Trash Free Waters (TFW) program refers to the garbage polluting U.S. ![]()
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