United States
Environmental Protectio
Agency
EPA-842-N-14-003
October, 2015
The Flow of., Trash Free Waters
This newsletter is intended to
provide the latest information to
our Trash Free Waters (TFW)
partners and stakeholders.
We continue to make progress
reducing aquatic trash in regions
where work is underway. With
projects wrapping up, new
efforts come online. We are
even developing "Second
Generation" TFW projects in key
areas where energy levels are
high.
The Flow is our opportunity to
highlight recent successes, as
well as shine a spotlight on news
and other related items.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
EPA's Role 2
Costs to manage trash 2
TFW in the:
Lower Mid-Atlantic 3
North America Interest 3
Louisiana 4
Puerto Rico 4
Atlanta 5
Texas 6
College Campus Toolkit 6
Port of New Orleans 7
Grants Awarded 7
The Rapids: News Drops 8
Our Oceans Conference
Available Funding Sources
Executives Share Innovative Ideas with EPA Administrator McCarthy
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) Administrator
Gina McCarthy invited
thought leaders from the
private sector to join her on
September 30th for a dialogue
regarding national actions to
achieve trash free waters in
the U.S. MuchofourTFW
work to date has focused on
developing localized aquatic
trash prevention projects in
many parts of the country.
But even as we make progress
at the regional level, it is clear
that nationally scaled actions
are necessary to achieve our
TFW goals.
With Deputy Administrator
Stan Meiburg moderating, the
participants discussed three
topic areas: (1) essential
technology breakthroughs
related to plastics; (2)
strategies to change public
behaviors with regard to
littering and trash disposal;
and (3) proactive business
programs to keep trash out of
waterways.
Many creative ideas were
shared during the two hour
discussion, among them a
possible "breakthrough
technology" challenge, a
nationwide anti-litter
campaign tied to product
branding, corporate
partnerships to keep trash
out of selected urban
watersheds, and
exploration of how to
better identify market value
in recycled materials.
EPA will share these ideas
with a broader audience
and work with interested
stakeholders to develop
strategies for putting some
of these groundbreaking
proposals into practice.
How Is It Flowing?
An imperative of the TFW
program is to stay up to date
on the rapidly changing 'state
of the science' within the
global scientific community
on ecosystem and human
health effects of plastics in
the aquatic environment.
In order to increase
coordination within EPA, we
brought together subject
matter experts within the
agency from across offices,
regions, and our laboratories
to identify ongoing research
in this field, as well as
identify research gaps and
needs. This intra-agency
workgroup developed a
framework that allows for an
informed consideration of
EPA's future research role in
this field and for engagement
and coordination with other
federal entities and research
groups with distinct research
efforts.
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The Flow of... Trash Free Waters
What is EPA's "Trash
Free Waters"
Program ?
A strategic approach
to support
innovative aquatic
trash prevention and
reduction policies,
programs and
initiatives by many
public, private, and
nonprofit
stakeholders.
Texas Stakeholder Meetings
Trinity Watershed
November 16-20, 2015
Plastics Regulatory Summit
Marine Debris and Diversion
Washington, DC
November 17-19, 2015
Association of National
Estuary Programs Annual
Conference
TFW Strategy in Puerto Rico
Presentation
San Juan, Puerto Rico
December 2-4, 2015
SustPack 2016: Business
Made Sustainable
TFW Program Presentation
Chicago, IL
April 11-13, 2016
EPA's Role in Achieving Trash Free Waters
EPA is developing unique and
tailored regional strategies
with projects to enhance
federal, state, and local
programs that reduce or
prevent trash from entering
our watersheds and
ultimately our coastal
ecosystems. EPA's role is to:
• Serve as catalyst/convenor
of strategic and tactical
planning processes;
• Identify "champions" to
serve as project leads on
the ground where these
projects are evolving;
• Consult with and to
government, businesses,
non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), and
citizen stakeholders;
• Identify collective actions
that enhance trash
prevention "drivers" and
remove "barriers;"
• Facilitate project
implementation; and
• Measure results.
Through these and other
activities, EPA hopes to
achieve marked reductions
in the flow of trash in our
nation's waters and along
our shores.
To date, we have been
implementing regional
strategies in the Gulf of
Mexico, New York/New
Jersey, Puerto Rico and
are well on our way to
implementing regional
strategies in the Mid-
Atlantic States, California
and the Pacific Islands.
$59 Million Annual Public Burden from Aquatic Trash
Management in the New York Region
Municipalities in the
Hudson-Raritan estuary,
which encompasses New
York City, spend an
astounding $59 million
annually in aquatic trash
management efforts,
according to a report
published by a team of
graduate students from
Columbia University in New
York, under the guidance of
EPA Region 2 office and the
New York State Department
of Environmental
Conservation. By showing
the large reactive tax-payer
costs involved in the
pervasive aquatic trash
issue, this economic study
further highlights the need
for programs like TFW which
catalyze proactive strategies
that target source reduction
and systemic changes in
littering behavior.
The full report titled,
Quantifying the Costs of
Managing Marine Debris,
can be obtained from the
Columbia University website
or by accessing:
http://mpaenvironment.ei.c
olumbia.edu/files/2015/06/
Quantifying-the-Costs-of-
Managing-Marine-
Debris_FINAL.pdf
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The Flow of... Trash Free Waters
PageS
TFW in the Lower Mid-Atlantic: Affecting Behavior Change in
Baltimore
The City of Baltimore is
amidst the development of
an implementation plan for
the Total Maximum Daily
Load developed for aquatic
trash in Baltimore Harbor.
Central to the
implementation plan is an
integrated social marketing
campaign designed to
change littering behaviors in
the region. Coincidentally,
an anti-litter campaign was
being developed on a
separate track by the City of
Baltimore's Sustainability
Commission. The primary,
shared interest among the
NGO, local agency, and
federal agency communities
is a Baltimore-specific public
outreach campaign designed
to reduce the volumes of
aquatic trash in the region.
The TFW program convened
a Webinar in late Spring
where stakeholders learned
of the successes realized by
the "Don't Mess with Texas"
program and 'The Recycle
Guys" in the Carolinas.
Stakeholders learned the
importance of preliminary
research, focus groups, and
branded messaging to build
a new mindset when trying
to affect behavior change.
TFW has convened a cross-
cutting group to develop and
implement this outreach and
education plan. Trash Free
Maryland is championing
the project and truly moving
the issue forward.
Integrated social marketing
campaigns based on
community research have
proven to be effective
strategies for bringing
multiple aspects of an issue
together and creating
meaningful behavior
change. Similarly, TFW and
Trash Free Maryland will
continue to evolve a social
marketing campaign in the
months ahead.
TFW Attracts Interest from Canadian and Mexican Governments
TFW caught the interest of
ministers at the Commission
on Environmental
Cooperation (CEC) during
their session hosted by the
U.S. EPA Administrator Gina
McCarthy hosted Leona
Aglukkaq, Canada's Minister
for the Environment, and
Rodolfo LacyTamayo,
Mexico's Secretary for
Environment and Natural
Resources at the 22nd
Regular Session of the
Council for the CEC July 14
and 15 in Boston,
Massachusetts.
The CEC is an organization
created by the U.S., Canada
environmental concerns in
North America and is
currently chaired by the U.S.
During their conversation
that focused on strategic
outlooks on climate change
issues, EPA's TFW program
caught the interest of the
other ministers on the
Council. They discussed
ways to build on its success
and expand it to other cities
in North America.
https://blog.epa.gov/blog/2
015/07/public-health-north-
america/
Recently Held Meetings
Kickoff for Galveston TFW:
2nd Generation Project
Galveston, TX
September 16, 2015
Texas TFW: Concept
Design Discussion
Dallas, TX
September 18, 2015
TFW: Executive Dialogue
Washington, DC
September 30, 2015
Our Oceans Conference
Valparaiso, Chile
October 5-6, 2015
NY/NJ TFW Partnership
Meeting
New York City, New York
October 21, 2015
U.S. Coral Reef Task Force
Meeting
Microplastics and Corals
Presentation
Puerto Rico
October 24-31
Puerto Rico TFW
Stakeholder meeting
Puerto Rico
October 26, 2015
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The Flow of... Trash Free Waters
LOUISIANA LOCAL GOVERNMENT
DF.Q LITTER ORDINANCE TEMPLATE AND HANDBOOK
b1
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g a litter
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The Flow of... Trash Free Waters
PageS
Internationally Recognized Environmental Art Sculpture Comes
to Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park
Thanks to our EPA Region 4
(Atlanta, Georgia) colleagues,
the TFW program participated
in a traveling art exhibit to
raise awareness of how trash
travels from our streets and
urban areas to nearby
waterways. The exhibit
started in Atlanta with a press
event (May 7) at which EPA's
Mark Nuhfer highlighted the
TFW program. This was
followed up with a grand
opening to the public (May 8).
Accompanying the sculpture
are signs that speak to the
causes, impacts, and potential
preventative solutions to the
aquatic trash issue. EPA has a
sign alongside the display and
will accompany the sculpture
as it travels.
The monumental sculpture,
named "Current Collections,"
is made of reclaimed and
recycled coastal debris and
spans 40 feet in diameter at
the base, reaching 38 feet
into the air. The sculpture is
built with a multi-colored
translucent plastic skin that
shimmers and shifts in
outdoor light. "Current
Collections" is intended to
represent the kind of
rotating water vortex where
trash is frequently found in
streams, rivers, lakes and
the ocean.
Aquatic Trash Prevention Great Practices Compendium:
Mid-Atlantic States
In November, EPA will release
its first edition of a great
practices compendium which
highlights efforts underway in
the Mid-Atlantic region that
have demonstrated results in
managing aquatic trash. The
nine practices selected from
across the region
demonstrate measurable
progress toward reducing and
preventing trash from
entering waterways and
shows a return on investment
from such efforts.
This compendium serves as a
single reference point for
practices that showed real
results, enabling civic leaders
and others to make informed
decisions about their future
trash prevention program
investments based on the
experiences of others.
To access the compendium,
go to EPA's website at:
http://water.epa.gOV/type/o
ceb/marinedebris/.
Calling all...
CHAMPIONS!
We've found that a
critical component for
progress is having an
impassioned leader to
drive TFW projects from
development through
implementation.
If someone you know
has a great concept for
reducing volumes of
aquatic trash in large
aquatic ecosystems,
have them contact a
member of the TFW
team!
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The Flow of... Trash Free Waters
"The toolkit enabled three of
our campuses to identify
sources of plastic waste,
research solutions, and
make concrete change. We
saw significant reductions in
disposable plastics
throughout all three
campuses, and hope this
toolkit will inspire change
across the UCsystem."
~ Matt St. Clair, Director of
Sustainability for the DC
Office of the President
"Preventing plastics and
other types of trash from
becoming marine debris is
so important. This cool
toolkit shows us how to
take action in the fight to
create trash free streams,
lakes and oceans."
~Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's
Regional Administrator for
the Pacific Southwest
Marine Debris & Plastic Source Reduction Toolkit for Colleges &
Universities
EPA, the Product
Stewardship Institute (PSI),
and the University of
California have launched a
new Marine Debris Campus
Toolkit designed to help
college campuses and other
institutions cut their plastic
waste to help reduce marine
debris and coastal pollution.
The toolkit, funded by an
EPA grant, resulted from a
successful two-year pilot
project by PSI at three
coastal University of
California campuses: UC
Santa Barbara, UC San
Diego, and UCSan Francisco.
During the two-year pilot
project, all three UC
campuses dramatically
reduced their plastics use.
UC Santa Barbara saw a 97
percent decline in plastic bag use
by campus food services through
an agreement with their local
Subway store to eliminate
unnecessary packaging. By
promoting campus hydration
stations, the campus also
eliminated over 60,000 single-use
plastic water bottles. UC San
Diego cut over 1 million plastic
bags each year by working with
their campus Subway store to
eliminate plastic bags and straw
sleeves. UC San Francisco's
Parnassus and Mission Bay
campuses retrofitted over 50
water fountains with gooseneck
spouts to fill reusable water
bottles more easily, cutting
campus purchasing of single-use
plastic water bottles by 50
percent, saving $27,500 annually.
The Campus Toolkit is a detailed
"how to" guide for reducing
plastic waste on college
campuses and other
institutions.
"Packaging makes up a large
portion of marine debris and
contributes to the huge gyres
of trash that exist in our
oceans, harming both marine
life and human health," said
Scott Cassel, Chief Executive
Officer at PSI. 'The adoption
of this toolkit by other
universities could have a
major impact on reducing
marine debris in coastal
watersheds, which would
convey immense promise in
the movement to rid our
waterways of excess plastic."
To access the Campus Toolkit,
go to EPA's website at:
www.epa.gov/region9/marin
e-debris/
TFW in Texas
The Trinity River is a
significant watershed in
the state of Texas - it is an
integral part of Texas'
culture and history, a
source of water for
consumption and for
agriculture and a place
where its citizens
recreate. It also
accumulates and
transports aquatic trash
along its course from
North Central Texas down
through rural areas of
Texas and into Houston
and Galveston on the way
to the Gulf of Mexico.
Reducing and preventing
trash along this major
watershed could have a
dramatic effect on Texas'
coastal communities, the Gulf
of Mexico, and the oceans.
In addition to the
conventional "Adopt-a-
Highway" program, Texas has
numerous other "Adopt-a-
Spot" programs that are
likely under-subscribed
including "Adopt-a-Stream,"
"Adopt-a-Trail," "Adopt a-
Community" and "Adopt-a-
Neighborhood" (Resilience
Teams) and more. This
project will have four phases
implemented along the Trinity
River to pilot successes:
1. GIS mapping of all adopt-
a-spots
2. Identify and overlay litter
and aquatic trash
hotspots;
3. Leverage the messaging
and outreach of the
"Don't Mess with Texas"
experts;
4. Evaluate and assess the
expectations for how
Adopt-a-Spots are
maintained.
All four phases are expected
to be completed by late 2016.
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The Flow of... Trash Free Waters
Page?
PONO "Keeping it Clean" a Real Winner!
Trash and litter collection is a
large expense for the Port of
New Orleans (Port). Personnel
spend thousands of hours each
year collecting abandoned
trash along internal roadways
and at remote areas of port
property. Beginning in
December, 2014, the Port
launched an inclusive and
transparent stakeholder
outreach and education
process to address litter and
debris on port property and in
adjacent waterways. This four
month pilot project was part of
EPA'sTFW program and
provided for a unique
opportunity to use a
collaborative stakeholder
process to engage in a joint
fact-finding and strategy
development process. New
initiatives and projects
launched directly resulting
from the TFW stakeholder
process include "Keep it
Clean" campaign, additional
truck route receptacle(s),
regional ByYOU Drainscapes
program, enhanced network
of partners for waste
reduction and clean up,
potential for innovative waste
reduction and recycling
strategies, and ongoing work
on floatable pollution
prevention and mitigation
technologies. This stakeholder
process and resulting
initiatives are excellent
examples of low to no-cost
solutions to litter and aquatic
trash, and should help the
Port avoid labor costs for
regular litter pickup,
estimated to be at least
$30,000 annually.
In turn, the Port received an
award for its efforts! The
Port's "PONO Trash Free
Waters Project: A
Collaborative Stakeholder
Process" won the 2015
American Association of
Port Authorities
Environmental Award for
Stakeholder Awareness,
Education and Involvement.
AND the Port was recently
recognized as a certified
Green Port by Green
Marine, a voluntary
certification program
created for the maritime
industry. This designation
provides environmental
standards for ports,
operators, terminals,
shipyards, shipping
companies, and other
maritime related businesses
The Port will use the
designation as a benchmark
for improving operations.
We're all m
The National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation (NFWF)
announced that 64
community-led wetland,
stream and coastal
restoration projects across
the nation have been
awarded more than $2.3
million in grants. In addition,
the grantees have committed
an additional $4.8 million in
local project support, creating
a total investment of more
than $7 million in projects
that will restore wildlife
habitat and urban waters.
They will engage thousands of
volunteers, students and local
residents in community-based
environmental stewardship
projects.
These grants are awarded
through the Five Star and
Urban Waters Restoration
Program. Major funding for
the 2015 Five Star and Urban
Waters program is provided by
EPA, the U.S. Forest Service,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, FedEx, Southern
Company, Bank of America and
PG&E.
Consideration for funding is
based upon the educational
and training opportunities for
youth and the community at
large as well as the ecological
and other cultural and
economic benefits to the
community. These projects
must also involve a high
degree of partnership between
local government agencies,
elected officials, community
Grants Awarded to Projects with Aquatic Trash Component
groups, businesses, schools
and environmental
organizations for improving
local water quality and
restoring important fish and
wildlife habitats." Grants can
be awarded to projects that
implement strategies to
prevent and reduce the
amount of trash entering
rivers and other aquatic
ecosystems. Of the grants
awarded, five were given to
projects that included
elements to reduce/prevent
aquatic trash.
Announcement of the Grant
awards can be found at:
http://www.nfwf.org/whowe
are/mediacenter/pr/Pages/fiv
e-star pr 15-0722.aspx
Aquatic trash-related
projects awarded NFWF
grants included:
• Clean Your Streams:
Restoring Clean Streams
in Toledo (Ohio)
• Project Underway: Green
Infrastructure, Local Jobs,
and Community
Stewardship for a
Healthier Jamaica Bay
Watershed (New York)
• Chesapeake Trash Trawl
(District of Columbia,
Maryland)
• Sustainable Collierville
Project (Tennessee)
• Hispanic Environmental
Awareness and Action at
Masonville Cove Urban
Wildlife Refuge
Partnership (Maryland)
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The Flow of... Trash Free Waters
Page 8
The Rapids: News Drops
ERA'S
Trash Free Waters
U.S. EPA Headquarters
William Jefferson Clinton
Building
1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue, N.W.
Mail Code: 4504T
Washington, DC 20460
Team Lead:
Laura S. Johnson
Phone 202.566.1273
E-mail:
Johnson.laura-s@epa.gov
Senior Advisor:
Bob Benson
Phone 202.566.2954
E-mail:
Benson.robert@epa.gov
Senior Consultant:
Adam R. Saslow
Phone 678.388.1670
E-mail:
Adam saslow@sra.com
OUR OCEAN II CONFERENCE
EPA's Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator Jane Nishida joined Secretary Kerry and other
distinguished experts at the Our Ocean 2015 Conference in Valparaiso, Chile the week of October
5. This conference brought together different government, policy, science, and advocacy leaders
to raise awareness of the many problems affecting the global marine environment, including
marine pollution, ocean acidification, sustainable fisheries, marine protected areas, and issues
affecting local communities. Governments, international organizations, and NGOs committed to
take actions that will address marine problems. Marine litter, in particular plastics, is a growing
global problem. Ms. Nishida announced a new joint partnership between EPA, the United Nations
Environment Program's Caribbean Environment Program and the Peace Corps to expand EPA's
Trash Free Waters strategy to the wider Caribbean region to help reduce land-based sources of
marine debris. Jamaica and Panama will be the first countries to pilot a Trash Free Waters
program. Follow Ms. Nishida's blog at: https://blog.epa.gov/blog/2015/10/our-ocean-2015/
GRANT OPPORTUNITY
EPA's Urban Waters Small Grants Program Request for Proposals is OPEN!
Under this announcement, EPA is soliciting proposals from eligible applicants for projects that will
advance EPA's water quality and environmental justice goals. Proposed projects will address
urban runoff pollution through diverse partnerships that produce multiple community benefits,
with emphasis on underserved communities. Grants can be awarded to projects that implement
strategies to prevent and reduce the amount of trash entering rivers and other aquatic
ecosystems. Note that proposed project activities must take place entirely within one of the
Eligible Geographic Areas, as illustrated on the interactive map provided on the Urban Waters
Small Grants mapping website at epa.gov/urbanwaters/urban-waters-small-grants-mapping. For
information on submitting a proposal: epa.gov/urbanwaters/urban-waters-small-grants.
Environmental Solutions for Communities Grant Program 2016 Request for Proposals.
December 10th Deadline. Wells Fargo and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) seek
to promote sustainable communities through Environmental Solutions for Communities by
supporting highly-visible projects that link economic development and community well-being to
the stewardship and health of the environment (which can include conserving water resources,
improving local water quality, restoring and managing ecosystems that are important to
community livelihoods, and encouraging broad-based citizen and targeted youth participation in
project implementation. Approximately $2,460,000 is available nationwide for 2016 projects. For
further details go to: http://www.nfwf.org/environmentalsolutions/Pages/2016RFP.aspx.
TRAINING
UNEP's first Massive Open Online Course on Marine Litter is open for enrollment.
This course is prepared in collaboration with the Open Universiteit in the Netherlands to provide
free access to lectures and case studies on marine litter to audiences around the world, aiming to
increase awareness of and stimulate creative solutions to marine litter problems. With two
learning options, all registrants can get access to the two-week Leadership Track and then
continue to an eight-week Expert Track if they wish to learn more. At the end of the course,
participants will receive certificates upon completion of each of the tracks. If you wish to enroll,
please click https://www.marinelittermooc.org/learn/massive-open-online-course-mooc-on-
marine-litter-october-2015. For further inquiries, please send an email to gpml@unep.org.
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