TRASH

FREE

WATERS

EPA-842-N-23-002
November 2023

THE FLOW OF.. .TRASH FREE WATERS

ISSUE 18

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

10-Years and Counting for the
Trash Free Waters Program!	1

A New Path Forward on Plastic
Waste-EPA's Draft National
Strategy to Prevent Plastic
Pollution	1

Escaped Trash Assessment
Protocol App	2

Updates Related to the
Intergovernmental Negotiating
Committee (INC) on Plastic
Pollution	3

Reusable Foodware Program
Reports Progress in Four U.S.
Cities	3

2023 - 2028 Puerto Rico Strategic
Plan to Reduce Aquatic Debris....5

Cleaning Up Hurricane Ian
Waterway Debris in Southwest
Florida	6

The Chesapeake Bay's
Plastic Pollution Action Team:
A Multi-stakeholder Group
Collaborating on Plastic
Pollution	7

Pala Band of Mission Indians
Reusable Foodservice Ware Pilot..8

Trash Free Waters Art Contest
Draws Creative Ways to Reduce
Pollution	9

New and Forthcoming Resources
& Publications	10

In The News	11

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HOW'S IT FLOWING?

10-Years and Counting for the Trash Free Waters Program!

Trash Free Waters (TFW) is happy to announce our
10-year anniversary as a program at the EPA! TFW
was created to support stakeholder efforts to
reduce the volume of trash entering waterways
around the country and to collaborate across
Agency programs to increase the focus on tackling
the problem of aquatic trash. Over the past ten
years, the program developed over twenty technical
reports and helped with over ninety place-based
projects in all ten of the EPAs regions. TFW has
focused on projects that prevent the generation of
waste, remove trash from waterways, educate the
public on the impacts of trash in waterways and
research the understanding of aquatic trash.

Going forward, the program will continue working
with the EPAs Office of Resource Conservation and
Recovery to finalize the Draft National Strategy to
Prevent Plastic Pollution—a requirement of the
Save Our Seas 2.0 Act of 2020. This strategy wiii
include actions across the plastic lifecycle intended
to maximize impact, as well as circular economy
approaches such as facilitating material reuse.

Consistent with this approach, the TFW program is
working with partner cities to launch citywide
reusable foodware systems and is exploring other
national initiatives to reduce trash generation. TFW
wiii also help implement strategy actions related to
education, research, trash capture and more. The
program will continue to develop and implement
trash mitigation efforts in specific locations through
partnerships with the EPAs place-based programs
and other entities, and will strengthen the existing
emphasis on disadvantaged communities impacted
by trash in local waterways.

Photos, clockwise from top: Litter Gitter installation
in Mobile Bay Watershed; recycling station
for cigarette butts; cover of South Atlantic Strategy
for Trash Free Waters.

The program would like to thank all of the many
wonderful stakeholders we have worked with over
the last ten years - so many of our successes have
been because of our work with people who have the
passion and drive to tackle this serious issue.

A New Path Forward on Plastic Waste - EPA's Draft National Strategy
to Prevent Plastic Pollution

Section 301 of the Save our Seas
2.0 Act mandates that the EPA
develop a "Strategy for Improving
Post-Consumer Materials
Management and Water Manage-
ment." This Act makes it clear

that domestic stakeholders
should be involved in developing
and implementing the strategy.

In November 2021, the EPA held
a series of feedback meetings on
a detailed outline of the strategy

with academics, environmental
groups, states, local govern-
ments, Tribes and industry. This
feedback was used as part of the
process to develop an early draft
of the strategy that was reviewed
(continued on p.2)

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(continued from p. 1)
by other federal agencies with
equities in the plastic waste
issue. In Summer 2023, the
EPA published the Draft
National Strategy to Prevent
Plastic Pollution in the Federal
Register, seeking public
comment.

The EPA received nearly
92,000 comments during the
public comment period. The
Agency is currently reviewing
these comments to consider
how it may modify the draft
strategy prior to review by the
Office of Management and
Budget and the Council on
Environmental Quality and eventual final release of the strategy.

Cover of the Pre-Public
Comment Draft National
Strategy to Prevent Plastic
Pollution.

The Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution identifies
actions EPA can implement, in collaboration with stakeholders,
to eliminate the release of plastic waste into the environment by
2040 - a goal in alignment with the February 2023 United
States submission to the UNEP Intergovernmental Negotiating
Committee on plastic pollution.

The strategy consists of three broad objectives:

•	Objective A: Reduce pollution during plastic production;

•	Objective B: Improve post-use materials management; and

•	Objective C: Prevent trash and micro/nanoplastics from
entering waterways and remove escaped trash from the
environment.

The proposed voluntary actions under each objective support a
circular approach that is restorative or regenerative by design,
enables resources to maintain their highest value for as long as
possible and aims to eliminate waste in the management of
plastic products.

The ongoing negotiations on a global plastics treaty under the
auspices of the United Nations demonstrate that the govern-
ments of the world, including the United States, understand the
seriousness of the plastic waste in the environment issue. The
current "business-as-usual" approaches are no longer tenable
given the extent and gravity of the problem. The release and
implementation of the final strategy will be a critical step
towards comprehensively addressing the problem of plastic
pollution in the country.

Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol App

The EPA's Trash Free Waters Program originally released the
Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol (ETAP^ in April of 2021. The
quantitative survey tool provides a standard method for collecting
and categorizing litter data. A mobile version of the tool was
released this summer on the Marine Debris Tracker (MPT)
application, free on all smartphones. The MDT version of the tool
seeks to provide an electronic format for data collection, retention
and basic analysis. Data can be exported to a .csv file for further
manipulation using your preferred data analysis platform. The MDT
version incorporates item list customization via the creation of
sublists to meet project specific needs. The MDT application
platform will aid in data synthesis, allowing stakeholders to tell a
more comprehensive story on the status of trash in our waterways
and communities.

ETAP was designed to be applied to a broad range of site types-
parks, streets, parking lots—and environmental conditions including
various hydrological and climatic regimes. ETAP is a highly
adaptable method for trash monitoring providing practitioners and
citizen scientists with a comprehensive and rigorous method for
quantifying trash loadings. The tool can also be used to assess
item age and level of fouling, and analyze and compare across spe-
cific material types and categories of trash collected. This informa-
tion can eventually be used to guide upstream source reduction
decisions.

A Standard Operating Procedure and companion materials are
being developed to help ETAP users adapt to the MDT platform (or
combination of app and paper) for categorizing and analyzing
collected debris.

Marine

% Debris Tracker

powered by Morgan Stanley
Marine Debris Tracker app logo.

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Updates Related to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution

At the United Nations Environmental
Assembly meeting in March 2022, the
United States joined other countries in
adopting a resolution on plastic pollution.
The resolution, titled End Plastic Pollution:
Towards an International Legally Binding
Instrument launched a process to develop
a new legally-binding instrument on plastic
pollution, with the aim of concluding
negotiations by 2024.

The State Department, through the Bureau
of Oceans and International Environmental
and Scientific Affairs, leads the negotiation
process for the U.S. government toward a
global agreement on plastic pollution

The EPA is actively involved in the negotia-
tions to develop this new global instrument.

The Agency is also working closely with
federal and international partners to
provide technical and policy expertise
on the prevention and management of
plastic pollution.

In June 2023, at the conclusion of the

second session of the intergovernmental
negotiating committee (INC-2) in Paris,
France, the Chair of the INC was tasked
with preparing a "zero draft text" (i.e., a
draft to start work from) of the instrument
to support negotiations at INC-3. INC-3 is
scheduled to take place from November
13-19 in Nairobi, Kenya. The U.S. Govern-
ment is actively preparing for its involve-
ment in this session.

For more information on the INC, please
visit the INC Secretariat's website or EPA's
International Actions to Address Marine
Litter website.

REGIONAL PROJECT SUCCESSES

Reusable Foodware Program Reports Progress in Four U.S. Cities

In the January 2023 Flow. TFW announced
a partnership with the NGO Perpetual to
help bring an immersive reuse experience
to four select cities. Since then, four partner
cities—Galveston, Texas; Ann Arbor,
Michigan; Hilo, Hawaii; and Savannah,
Georgia —were chosen to develop and
launch citywide reusable foodware
systems, in each city, TFW and Perpetual
partner with local nonprofits to facilitate a
community-driven design process to ensure
that the resulting reuse program effectively
and equitably serves each community. The
data-driven design process also leverages a
parametric Life Cycle Assessment model
developed by researchers at the University
of Michigan. The model is customized for
each city and used to assess the environ-
mental impacts of system design choices
during the design process.

While the design principles and process are
the same in each community, the unique
characteristics, culture, geography, existing
community assets and context mean that

the resulting system designs are expected
to be distinct, but stiii interoperable and
aligned with emerging reuse standards.

The Circularity Assessment Protocol (CAP),
conducted by Dr. Jenna Jambeck's
Circularity Informatics Lab team, is one of
the first pieces of research completed in
each city. A CAP was conducted in Galves-
ton in December 2022, in Ann Arbor in May
2023, in Hilo in August 2023, and is planned
for Savannah in November 2023. A CAP will
be conducted after implementation of the
reuse system in each city to provide
important "before and after" data.

In Galveston, TFW and Perpetual have
partnered with Turtle Island Restoration
Network, a local environmental nonprofit
with deep roots in the community. The
groups held public design workshops in
March to gather input from inhabitants and
visitors, and also met with local nonprofits
and restaurant owners. With the engage-
ment and support of Galveston's mayor, city

Display from Galveston reusable foodware
workshop.

council, Park Board and city staff, the
system design for Galveston is nearly final.
Next steps include establishing the
governing entity for the reuse system and
putting out the Request for Proposal for
needed elements of the reuse system,
including a backend technology platform,
reusable cups with tracking, washing and
logistics service providers, and both
tech-enabled and non-tech enabled secure
reuse collection bins.

(continued on p.4)

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Photos from top: Ann Arbor stakeholder meeting; Hilo, Hawaii reusable foodware
stakeholder workshop.

(continued from p.3)

In Ann Arbor, the reuse coalition includes
the City of Ann Arbor. ZeroWaste. Recycle
Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan.
together with Perpetual. Public design
workshops were held in-person in May, and
additional virtual workshops for both the
general public and for local foodservice
business owners were held over the
summer. This fall, Recycle Ann Arbor is
working with existing equipment and
technology partners to test the viability of
several models for the co-collection of
reusable items with recyclables. Communi-
ty interest in reuse has surged since a key
compost service provider announced they
will cease accepting most compostable
packaging, effective January 1, 2024. The
reuse coalition is incorporating all of the
input and data gathered into a system
design requirements document, which wiii
be further shared with a range of communi-
ty stakeholders.

In Hilo, Zero Waste Hawaii island is leading
the reuse work with support from TFW,
Perpetual and Hawaii County Community
design workshops were held the last week
of October. At the workshops, TFW and
Perpetual solicited input from community
members on how a reuse program could
work best for them and for the whole Hilo
community, with participants using stickers
or dried beans to vote for different options
or respond to questions. The local team
had previously met with many community
members and groups and held a workshop
for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
in August to understand how a reuse
system could work best for them.

In September, Hawaii County was awarded
an EPA Solid Waste Infrastructure for
Recycling grant for $1.5 million to acquire
infrastructure for the reusable foodware
system. The University of Hawai'i Sea Grant
College Program also received a notice of
an award in September from the Preven-
tion Grant: Environmental Justice Through
Safer and More Sustainable Products
Request for Applications. The $633,727 in
funding from this grant source will provide

technical assistance to businesses that
make or serve food in Hilo to establish a
safe, affordable, community-wide reusable
foodware program. Technical assistance
will include on-site assessments; provision
of written materials and online training; and
help in developing collection, washing and
logistics infrastructure to support the
circulation of reusable items through a
fee-for-service model.

In Savannah, which is sequenced fourth in
the staggered design process, TFW and
Perpetual are partnering with the Savannah
College of Art & Design's "Design for Good"
class this fail to support the first stages of
the design process, including on-the-ground
research and data gathering. A coalition of
local nonprofits focused on environmental

justice, economic development and
sustainable business are coalescing around
the reuse system design process, and both

the City of Savannah and Chatham County
are engaging to support this process.

No single restaurant or foodservice
establishment can create a citywide reuse
program on their own. While large-scale
multi-stakeholder collaboration can be a
challenge, it is essential for creating a
reusable foodware system that can
succeed for businesses, for community
members and for cities. Each of these cities
is on a path to provide a model and a
roadmap for other cities to follow as reuse
systems come to scale across the U.S. and
the world. TFW and Perpetual will share
lessons learned from these models.

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2023 - 2028 Puerto Rico Strategic Plan to Reduce Aquatic Debris

The NOAA Marine Debris Program and TFW
collaborated with stakeholders in Puerto
Rico on the development of the 2023 -
2028 Puerto Rico Strategic Plan to Reduce
Aquatic Debris, released in October 2023.
With the vision of reducing debris in aquatic
environments in Puerto Rico, the Plan will
help to guide the implementation of key
actions by partners involved in aquatic
debris prevention, research and removal.

Aquatic debris comes from many sources
and takes many shapes and sizes. From
microplastics and microfibers to oversized
abandoned barges, this debris is detrimen-
tal to Puerto Rico's ecology, economy and
public health. Despite trying to contain the
trash through waste management systems,
aquatic debris may end up polluting water
resources because of littering, unintentional
spills or other causes. These challenges
have generated widespread interest and
commitment from partners across different
sectors to create a plan that can strategi-
cally address aquatic debris in Puerto Rico.
The Plan will enhance cross-sectoral
coordination, public awareness and
behavior change.

Why Do We Need a Plan?

The Plan is a tool that can promote active
and measurable multisectoral coordination
and wider collaboration. It will also help to
frame the challenges associated with
resource limitations and identify effective
activities, projects or initiatives.

Through the implementation of this plan,
the following results are expected:

¦ Knowledge of impacts, causes and
pathways of aquatic trash and of the
effectiveness of solutions;

• Strong education and outreach efforts
focused on anti-littering, behavior
change and source reduction;

Strong collaboration across academia,
municipalities, nongovernmental
organizations and the private sector to
stop illegal dumping and to develop
region-specific anti-littering solutions;

Efforts to support enforcement of the
2015 ban on plastic bags and the 2022
ban on single use plastic in restaurants
and retail;

Awareness among the fishing commu-
nity on the dangers of derelict fishing
gear and the proper techniques for
removing it; and

Incorporation of best management
practices in all removal efforts, from
beach cleanups to removal of aban-
doned fishing gear and vessels.

Cover of the 2023-2028 Puerto Rico
Strategic Plan to Reduce Aquatic Debris.

During the implementation of this Plan,
partners will develop, track and report on
the progress of specific actions. The actions
will be updated annually, and progress
towards each action will be reviewed twice
a year with the contributors.

Volunteers pick up trash in Puerto Rico.

Better understanding of the quantity,
hotspots and causes of illegal dump-
sites;

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Cleaning Up Hurricane Ian Waterway Debris

in Southwest Florida

Clockwise from top: Volunteers from Rotunda West taking part in
International Coastal Clean-up; underwater marine debris cleanup
event; derelict crab traps are collected and either properly disposed
of or repurposed.

Since Hurricane Ian hit Florida in
September 2022, divers have
noticed increased presence of
debris and iost or discarded
fishing gear in and around
Southwest Florida's coastal
waters. Traps are lost during
storm events, moved around by
the swell and waves and some
end up entangled in artificial
reefs. Rope poses an entangle-
ment risk to marine creatures,
birds and divers; traps continue
capturing and killing marine
creatures until they are removed.

The Coastal and Heartland
National Estuary Partnership
(CHNEP)-part of the EPA's
National Estuary Program—has
a mission to protect Central and
Southwest Florida's estuaries
and their watersheds. CHNEP is
funding community non-profit
organizations to help clean up
waterway debris from Hurri-
cane ian. Removing hurricane
and other debris is part of the
CHNEP Comprehensive
Conservation and Management
Plan for protecting and
restoring the region's water-
ways.

The Suncoast Reef Rovers
received a $3,000 Conservation
Grant from CHNEP for removal
of lost and discarded fishing
gear and trash from Venice's
reefs. Following multiple
planning meetings, five
volunteer underwater clean-ups
were conducted in offshore
areas in Sarasota County
between May - August 2023. To
further minimize the impact to
the environment, the Suncoast
Reef Rovers received authoriza-
tion from the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commis-

sion (FWC) to send all crab
traps still in reusable condition
to the Venice PD/Sarasota
County/FWC facility—instead of
sending crab traps to a landfiii
facility—to allow traps to be
returned to their owners. All
serviceable anchors and chains
recovered were provided to the
Venice Police Department for
securing drifting vessels during
storms. The repurposing of
recovered assets by Venice
Police Department is another
example of the positive impact
this grant has on the communi-
ty. In total, volunteers removed
7,702 pounds of trash during
these clean-ups with the
majority being derelict crab
traps, followed by anchors and
chains, cast nets, vessel
components and other types of
typical marine debris.

In Charlotte County, CHNEP
funded Keep Charlotte Beauti-
ful $4,400 dollars towards
several waterway clean-up
there. The Charlotte Harbor
West Wall Cleanup was the first
offshore cleanup. Many
organizations came together
including Florida Department of
Environmental Protection
Aquatic Preserves. Florida Sea
Grant FWC, CHNEP, Charlotte
County and Keep Charlotte
Beautiful. The clean-up resulted
in removal of 2,013 pounds of
trash—mostly Styrofoam and
some derelict fishing gear—
from the mangroves.

A student cleanup in June
provided an opportunity to
educate youth on the issue of
aquatic trash. The Great

American Cleanup wrap up was
in June, with 58 people bringing

in 600 pounds of debris. The
official kick off day for the
International Coastal Cleanup
was a success, with 151
volunteers working in eight
locations from Charlotte
Harbor Environmental Center
at Alligator Creek to Bay
Heights Park in Englewood
collecting 850 pounds of debris.
Overall, the top type of debris
collected was construction
materials, followed by lines,
nets, traps and ropes.

In Lee County, CHNEP provided
the Healthy Earth organization
$4,999 in funds to conduct
three underwater clean-ups in
the Pine Island Sound area.
Volunteers worked over 120
hours to collect a total of
11,678 pounds of underwater

debris, including ten derelict
crab traps, one abandoned
pinfish trap, seven anchors and
over 300 pounds of rope and
chains, amongst other items.
Some items were found
trapping or entangling marine
life, thus removing the debris
had an immediate effect of
improving marine life habitat.

Dedicated non-profits and
devoted volunteers literally dove
into cleaning up from Hurricane
Ian and other debris in area
waterways with the help of
CHNEP's funding support. While
more clean-ups are needed,
these groups collectively
removed over 12,300 pounds of
trash—creating cleaner safer
waters for both people and
marine life.

¦" MIIMUTZOHV

GOAST/U.OM*

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The Chesapeake Bay's Plastic Pollution Action Team: A Multi-stakeholder Group
Collaborating on Plastic Pollution

Formed in 2020, the Chesapeake Bay
Program Plastic Pollution Action Team
(PPAT) works to address the rising con-
cerns that plastic pollution may be impact-
ing the Chesapeake Bay and its resources.
The PPAT seeks to reduce the presence and
impacts of plastic by overseeing research
that helps to determine the effects plastic
pollution has on the Chesapeake Bay
ecosystem. Activities supported by the
PPAT include:

•	Provide oversight on the development
of ecological risk assessments of
microplastics;

•	Use the results of ecological risk
assessments to develop and update a
strategy that identifies and prioritizes
gaps in information and guide future
research;

•	Share results to Chesapeake Bay
leadership and stakeholders; and

•	Monitor policy advances that could
potentially impact, advance or comple-
ment this work to inform the science
strategy and identify potential policy or
management options for source
reduction strategies.

In 2021, the PPAT provided support to
several EPA-funded projects including:

•	Uniform Size Classification and
Concentration Unit Terminology Guide;

•	Preliminary Conceptual Ecological Risk
Assessment Model for Microplastics
on Juvenile Striped Bass in the
Potomac River, a major Chesapeake
Bay tributary; and

•	Microplastics Monitoring and Science
Strategy for the Chesapeake Bay and
its Watershed.

Chesapeake Bay Program logo.

Conclusions were:

•	Microplastics are ubiquitous in both
tidal and non-tidal waters, and the
consensus is that plastic pollution is
widespread but unqualified;

•	There is no systematic organized effort
in researching plastic pollution;

•	The ecological risk assessments
demonstrated evidence that microplas-
tics could impact valuable resources
like striped bass, and more research
into diets and trophic transfer are
needed to accurately estimate those
effects; and

•	Implementing the science and
monitoring strategy would be an
important step to better understanding
plastic pollution in the watershed.

In 2022, the PPAT provided oversight for
updating the ecological risk assessments
focused on specific taxa and considering
plankton regime shifts, incorporating new

Risk Assessment document cover.

striped bass diet studies and focusing on
specific prey items such as mysids,
amphipods and bay anchovy.

The PPAT is continuing to provide technical
oversight on the emerging issue of plastic
pollution in the watershed. Currently, the
PPAT is supporting three projects in
2023-2024:

•	Develop a Monitoring and Analytical
Reference Guide and Monitoring
Framework for Plastic Pollution in the
Chesapeake Bay Watershed;

•	Assessing Biological Effects of Plastic
Pollution Exposure on Young of Year
Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) in the
Chesapeake Bay and its Tributaries;
and

•	Piloting Microplastics Source Tracking
in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

For copies of PPAT publications and more
information on the Plastic Pollution Action
Team, please visit https://www.chesa-
peakebay.net/who/group/plastic-pollu-
tion-action-team.

Chesapeake Bay Program

Science. Restoration, Partnership.

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Pala Band of Mission Indians Reusable Foodservice Ware Pilot

From left: New Tribal lunch program dishwasher; before and after photos; outreach material.

The Pala Band of Mission Indians (located
in Pala, California) is implementing Tribal
zero-waste goals by piloting two single-use
plastic reduction projects and conducting
outreach and education to increase staff
and the Tribal community's awareness of
plastic overuse. This effort builds on
previous recycling and waste reduction
efforts by the Tribe.

Building Relationships With the Tribe's
Senior Lunch Program Over Food

The Pala Environmental Department (PED)
is working with the Tribe's senior lunch
program to switch from single-use foodser-
vice ware to reusables. Starting in fall 2022,
Department staff began working closely
with the lunch program to choose an
appropriate dishwasher, reusable plates,
and silverware and plan long-term systems
for maintaining the reusables program. This
new system is also utilized for all events
hosted in the Pala Administration Building's
meeting room spaces.

The program has been up and running
since May 2023, and early reactions have
been very favorable. The Tribe's kitchen
staff are happier because of cost savings—
they no longer have to purchase huge
amounts of single-use plastics. Tribal

seniors who eat lunch onsite have been
mostly on board with the change. The most
resistance was by staff who now must
carry dishes upstairs to the breakroom
instead of using a sealed single use
disposable clamshell. Education and
outreach for this group is ongoing.

Additionally, the Pala Environmental
Department is piloting removal of
single-use plastics from the employee
breakroom and using the same reusable
plates/silverware purchased for the lunch
pilot program. Staff can wash the items by
hand in the employee breakroom, or place
items on a cart for kitchen staff to bring to
the Pala Kitchen once a day to go through
the industrial dishwasher. The Department
started this portion of the pilot in late
summer 2023 and education is ongoing.

Tasty Water

Pala Environmental Department staff
identified the staff breakroom as a good
opportunity for reducing single-use plastics.
The Tribe is replacing disposable water
bottles with three different water bottle
filling stations around the Pala Administra-
tion Building in an employee breakroom and
two public hallways. The pilot strives to
reduce single-use plastics by Tribal

employees, Tribal members who are in the
building, and members of the public who
occasionally rent out the larger meeting
rooms. There were a few siting issues
initially due to needing access to a water
line, water drain, and electricity—seemingly
reasonable requirements that turned out to
be more difficult to deliver on than originally
believed. This effort is just getting under-
way and the Department will have more
information to share in 2024.

Getting the Word Out

An important part of this project is conduct-
ing community based social marketing to
garner staff and community buy-in for the
reuse program. The Pala Environmental
Department successfully used this tech-
nique in the past to develop Tribal-specific
recycling outreach as part of another pilot
with the EPA. Conducting surveys to properly
identify any barriers before PED started the
pilot helped steer away from unproductive
outreach efforts and tailor the message to
both Pala Tribal staff and The Tribal
community. The Department will also be
outlining the steps taken and the questions
asked when developing this tooi in the hopes
that it can be used by other Tribes to
conduct similar outreach campaigns.

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Trash Free Waters Art Contest Draws Creative Ways to Reduce Pollution

Every day, litter and debris wash into the Delaware River and its
tributaries. In addition to being an eyesore, this pollution hinders
recreation, hurts fish and wildlife, and affects the overall water
quality in the Delaware River Basin.

Keeping our waterways trash-free is a priority for Partnership for
the Delaware Estuary given that more than 13 million people rely
upon the basin for clean, safe drinking water. In 2023, the Partner-
ship its Trash Free Waters Art Contest to raise awareness about
the importance of keeping our waterways clear.

To do this, the Partnership called upon professional and amateur
artists from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware to submit
creative, original pieces of art that illustrated the theme of reducing
trash in local waterways. Submissions could be in any medium but
had to be created on a provided 12-inch-by-9-inch canvas.

The Partnership received 67 entries produced in various mediums,
from oil and watercolor paints to recycled items, knitted fabric and
mixed media.

"It was fascinating to see how artists interpreted the theme," said
Chesa Blom, the Partnership's Philadelphia Community Coordina-
tor. "Some imagined what a Trash Free Waters habitat could be
while others used actual recycled materials to highlight the
problem they cause in the environment."

The Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia displayed the
canvases during the Delaware River Festival on September 9.
Festival attendees were invited to view the artwork and more than
600 people voted for their top three favorites. Congratulations to
the winning artists and honorable mentions:

1 st Place: Fishing for I rash Free Waters by Helen Munnelly

2nd Place: Discarded Line by Jennifer Boiieau

3rd Place: Sunrise on the Delaware by Stephanie Janice

Honorable Mentions included pieces by Paula Brown, Fred Brown
and Dante del Vecchio.

Winning artwork will be used next year in an advertising campaign
to promote proper trash disposal and cleaner waterways.

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary received financial support
from the EPA under Assistance Agreements funded by the 2021
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the National Estuary Program
(section 320 of the Clean Water Act).

This project was also financed in part by the Philadelphia Water
Department and a Federal Coastal Zone Management Grant
provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection with funds provided by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.

From top: Photos of the first, second, and third-place art pieces.

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NOVEMBER 2023 -

ISSUE 18

THE FLOW OF...TRASH FREE WATERS

NEW AND FORTHCOMING RESOURCES & PUBLICATIONS
Report on Microfiber Pollution

Laundry prepared to enter a washing machine.

Scientists have estimated that over
8 million tons of plastic enter our oceans
each year. The most prevalent type of
microplastic found in the environment is
microfibers. Clothing is a major source of
microfibers, the majority of which is made
when plastic-based materials like polyester,
rayon, nylon and acrylics shed when
washed.

Section 132 of the Save our Seas 2.0 Act
required federal agencies to complete
reports on an array of marine debris and
waste management topics, and directed
the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinat-
ing Committee to develop a report to
Congress focused on microfibers. The
Coordinating Committee is a multi-agency
body established in 2006 and made up of
different federal agencies responsible for
coordinating the Federal Government's
efforts to address marine debris. TFW
and NOAA co-led drafting the report to
Congress on behalf of the Coordinating
Committee.

Consistent with the Section 132 require-
ments, the draft report to Congress
includes: (1) a definition of microfibers; (2)
an assessment of the sources, prevalence
and causes of microfiber pollution; (3) a
recommendation for a standardized
methodology to measure and estimate the
prevalence of microfiber pollution; (4)
recommendations for reducing microfiber
pollution; and (5) a Federal Plan. The
Federal Plan identifies specific actions that
the twelve participating agencies could take
to address different aspects of microfiber
pollution under their own legal authorities,
individually and in partnership with stake-
holders, during the five-year period after
report finalization.

The initial draft report to Congress was
published in the Federal Register for public
comment from September 15 until October
17, 2022. NOAA and the EPA reviewed the
public comments and revised the draft
report. This revised draft document is
currently in management review at the

agencies ahead of being sent to the Office
of Management and Budget. Once all
reviews are completed, the report will be
sent to Congress and then shared publicly
(anticipated to occur Spring 2024).

i FW Tire Particles Summary Paper: Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Tire wear particles are small, piastic
particles primarily generated by abrasion
with pavement. Studies have shown that
stormwater runoff can transport tire
particles from roadways and to waterbod-
ies in which various aquatic organisms
reside. Existing research has demonstrated
that tire wear particles, and their associated
contaminants, can harm aquatic life. For
example, a study in 2021 found that 6PPD
quinone, a tire rubber-derived chemical,
induces acute mortality in coho salmon.
However, the impacts of tire wear particles
on human health via ingestion or through
other exposure pathways is unknown.

The emergence of tire wear particles as a
significant category of microplastics found
in waterways prompted TFW to convene
stakeholders in two roundtable discussions
in Spring 2022 to facilitate shared learning
about the challenges of addressing tire wear
particle pollution. The workshop focused on

tire wear particles generated by vehicles
driving on roadways and did not address tire
particle emissions from recycled tire crumb
rubber used in applications such as sports
fields or playgrounds. Workshop participants
came from a range of sectors, including
academia, the tire industry, municipalities
and wastewater utilities.

Each roundtable discussion had the same
format, which was structured to facilitate
sharing of information without committing
the participant to a specific course of action.
Participants discussed a set of questions
centered on better understanding the barriers
and opportunities to effectively manage tire
wear particles that pollute waterways. TFW
developed a summary paper, Where the
Rubber Meets the Road: Opportunities to
Address Tire Wear Particles in Waterways,
with the results of these roundtable discus-
sions. TFW has been actively sharing the
report and its findings to inform the public

Where the
Rubber
Meets the
Road:

Opportunities
to Address Tire
Wear Particles
In Waterways

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Cover of Where the Rubber Meets the Road.

and broaden the community engaged in
addressing tire wear particle pollution. TFW is
considering further actions to help implement
actions in the paper.

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THE FLOW OF,..TRASH FREE WATERS

NOVEMBER 2023 - ISSUE 18

NEW AND FORTHCOMING RESOURCES & PUBLICATIONS

Recycled Plastics in Infrastructure: Current Practices, Understanding and
Opportunities

Section 303 of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act of
2020 mandated that the EPA and the
Department of Transportation enter into an
arrangement with the National Academies
of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to
create a report on the uses of plastics
waste in infrastructure The final published
report looks at research and the current
state of use of recycled plastics in both
transportation and non-transportation
infrastructure.

The report shows that, whiie there are
opportunities for expanding the use of
recycled plastics in infrastructure, a lack of
data makes it unclear that use in infrastruc-
ture is better environmentally when
compared to plastics reuse and recycling
options for other purposes. The report
contributors find that the recycled plastic
option that creates the greatest benefit is
contingent on the goal to be achieved (for
example, reducing plastic waste in water-
ways to the greatest degree possible versus
reducing greenhouse gas emissions as
much as possible).

The report shows that producers of some
infrastructure products—including asphalt
pavement mixes, drainage pipes and
railroad ties—are interested in using
recycled plastics. However, currently only
drainage pipes are a source of significant
demand. The report identified pavements
as a significant opportunity for the use of
recycled plastics; composite utility poles
and highway sound barriers offer other high
potential opportunities.

Barriers to expanded use of recycled
plastics in infrastructure include a lack of
understanding of recycled plastics as a
potential use option, uncertainties over
formulation and methods of use, lack of
data with respect to potential environmen-
tal impacts (such as microplastic emis-
sions) and long-term performance of
infrastructure that includes recycled
plastics as a component.

The report recommends the EPA should
track and model the supply of recycled
plastics (categorizing by quality and
polymer type) and the demand generated

for recycled plastics by type of use. The
report also calls on the EPA to identify
policies and regulations to support plastics
recycling and take steps to encourage more
collaboration among plastics manufactur-
ers, suppliers, recyclers and industrial
users. An additional recommendation is
that the EPA promote interagency coordina-
tion and work with the Department of
Transportation, the Department of Energy,
the National Science Foundation, the
National Institute of Standards and
Technology and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers to consider how each agency
can apply its research and expertise more
effectively to plastic waste recycling and
reuse.

Policies to increase the supply of
high-quality recycled plastics that can be
used in infrastructure is a critical need.

Such policies would include state require-
ments for plastic recycling programs,
promulgating extended producer responsi-
bility laws and providing funding from the
federal government for research into new
products and materials design.

IN THE NEWS

Recent Additions to the TFW Webinar Series

5Gyres team.

TFW has added two webinars to the TFW
webinar series since our last issue of the
Fiow in January. In February, TFW hosted

Extended Producer Responsibility - The
Corporate Contribution to Keeping U.S.
Waterways Clean. The webinar included
speakers from Product Stewardship
Institute. Maine Senate District 7. and As
You Sow. Speakers discussed the opportu-
nities and barriers to implementing
Extended Producer Responsibility as part of
the solution space for the trash-in-water-
ways problem. Extended Producer Respon-
sibility is a policy approach that holds
producers responsible for the environmen-

tal impact of their products. The panel gave
context and examples of such policies at
national, state and corporate levels.

The second webinar, The Voyage of 5
Gyres, was hosted in June. This more
intimate and personal webinar consisted of
a conversation with Dr. Marcus Eriksen and
Anna Cummins, co-founders of the 5Gvres
Institute. The co-founders are experts on
and advocates for the elimination of plastic
pollution, Marcus and Anna shared their
personal story as a couple, how their
personal partnership has impacted their
work, and the adventures they have
experienced as advocates for a healthier

world. They also spoke about their vision
for how a cleaner planet can be created for
future generations.

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THE FLOW OF...TRASH FREE WATERS

NOVEMBER 2023 - ISSUE 18

IN THE NEWS

Biden-Harris Administration Invests More than $100 Million in Recycling
Infrastructure Projects Through Investing in America Agenda

In mid-September, the EPA announced
more than $100 million to expand
recycling infrastructure and waste
management systems across the country,
representing the EPA's largest recycling
investment in 30 years.

The EPA selected 25 communities to
receive grants totaling more than $73
miiiion under the newly created Solid Waste
Infrastructure for Recycling funding
opportunity. In addition, the Agency is
making available approximately $32 million
for states and territories to improve solid
waste management planning, data collec-
tion and implementation of plans.

The EPA's Solid Waste Infrastructure for
Recycling Grant Program is also advancing
the Justice40 Initiative, which aims to
ensure that 40 percent of the overall
benefits of certain federal investments flow
to disadvantaged communities that are
marginalized, underserved and overbur-
dened by pollution. Approximately $56
million—or 76 percent—of the total funding
for communities will go toward projects
that benefit disadvantaged communities.

Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling
Grants for Communities

The recycling grants for communities,
ranging from $500,000 to $4 million per
grant, wili support improvements to waste
management systems across the country.
Selected projects include: purchasing new
fleets of recycling collection vehicles and
bins to provide curbside recycling services
for communities currently lacking access;
upgrades to material recovery facilities to
reduce contamination; enhancements to
composting and organics programs and
infrastructure; and construction of various
types of facilities that improve recycling,
composting and reuse infrastructure for
materials such as plastics and food waste.

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Map of Recycling Grant Selectees and Recipients.

Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling
Grants for States and Territories

The recycling grants for states and
territories wili provide funding to all 56
states, territories, and the District of
Columbia via grants ranging from $360,000
to $750,000; with the highest grant
amounts supporting those states and
territories that need it the most. These
grants represent important steps toward
achieving the EPA's National Recycling
Goal and Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Goal. Funded activities include improving
post-consumer materials management
programs through developing or updating
solid waste management pians and
strengthening data collection efforts.

The announcement for states, territories
and communities is the first round of

funding from this new grant program. In the
coming months, the EPA will announce the
selected recipients of the recycling grants
for Tribes and intertribal consortia, as well
as the recipients of the EPA's new Recycling
Education and Outreach grant program.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides
$275 million total from fiscal year 2022 to
fiscal year 2026 for grants authorized under
the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act—the largest
investment in recycling in 30 years. The
recycling grants are supplemented with
additional funding provided through the
EPA's annual appropriations.

For details about the Solid Waste Infra-
structure for Recycling Grant Program
selectees and other Bipartisan Infrastruc-
ture Law-related funding opportunities, visit

the EPA recycling grants webpage.

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THE FLOW OF,..TRASH FREE WATERS

NOVEMBER 2023 -

ISSUE 18

IN THE NEWS

Break Free
from Plastic
Pollution Act

On October 25, Senator
Jeff Merkley (OR) and
Representative Jared
Huffman (CA) reintro-
duced the Break Free
from Plastic Pollution
Act (of 2023). Although
the Break Free from
Plastic Pollution Act was
initially introduced in
2021, Congress failed to
pass the bill. When the
bill was reintroduced on
October 25, Senator
Merkley claimed it was a
far more comprehensive
plan to address plastic
pollution than Congress
has seen in the past.

The bill would establish
extended producer
responsibility rules for
beverage containers and
packaging. Source
reduction would be a
focus, with a target of no
more than 50 percent
plastic content in single
use products by 2050.
Certain toxic substances
used in plastics would
be prohibited and certain
items, such as plastic
bags, would be banned
altogether at the national
level. The bili introduces
strict limits on chemical
"recycling." The bill would
also create a competitive
grant program for reuse
and refill projects.

Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act

Senators Dick Durbin (IL), Jeff
Merkley (OR) and Ben Cardin (MD)
re-introduced the Plastic Pellet
Free Waters Act in July that would
require the EPA to prohibit the
discharge of plastic pellets and
other pre-production plastic into
waterways from facilities and
sources that make, use, package
or transport pellets. The bill's
provisions—which would be the
first law to regulate plastic
pellets—would be incorporated
into permits issued by the EPA
and state-delegated programs for
wastewater, stormwater and
other sources.

Pre-production plastic pellets.

Marine Debris Foundation

When a photograph of a sea turtle with a plastic
straw lodged in its nostril went viral, this unfortu-
nate creature inadvertently became a "poster child"
for marine debris and, in so doing, raised the profile
of this ubiquitous problem.

Marine debris is one of the most widespread
pollution challenges facing our planet. Marine
debris includes plastics—from drinking straws to
the microscopic particles that marine life and
humans unknowingly consume—as weil as metals,
rubber, paper, textiles, derelict fishing gear and
vessels, and other lost and discarded items.

To address this growing issue, Congress enacted
the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act which, among other
objectives, called for the establishment of a new
nonprofit organization to fill the gaps in federal
funding for marine debris efforts. The Marine
Debris Foundation (MDF) was created as a
public-private partnership to enhance NOAA's
Marine Debris Program. The Foundation raises
funds from individuals, foundations, corporations
and other entities to support local, state, national
and international initiatives to reduce the amount of
debris entering our waters. It specifically uses these
funds to invest in research and development of
technologies to mitigate the impact of marine
debris; support cleanup efforts; and advocate for

policies that advance this work. The Foundation
was launched through a federal grant, with the goal
of creating the infrastructure necessary to raise
significant funding from the private sector moving
forward.

Appointed by the Under Secretary of Commerce,
MDF's inaugural Board of Directors comprises an
impressive, diverse collective of leaders and
subject matter experts from the government,
industry, and academic sectors. Ginny Eckert, PhD,
serves as MDF's Board Chair. Dr. Eckert is Director
of Alaska Sea Grant and faculty at University of
Alaska. The organization recently hired its first
Executive Director, Susan Sherman, who wiil work
closely with MDF's board and NOAA's Marine Debris
Program to build out the organization and maxi-
mize its impact. Ms, Sherman has held numerous
leadership positions in the environmental sector,
including as CEO of a nonprofit partner organiza-
tion to the National Park Service.

The Marine Debris Foundation issued its first
request for proposals in summer 2023 and received
over 500 applications from NGOs and community
groups across the U.S. and around the world. After
scrupulous vetting of the applications, MDF's first
round of grants will be issued in late fall/early
winter 2023.

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THE FLOW OF...TRASH FREE WATERS

NOVEMBER 2023 -

ISSUE 18

IN THE NEWS

OECD Environmental Performance Review of the U.S.

The EPA represents the U.S. government as the delegate to the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD)
Environmental Policy Committee. The OECD, a consensus-based
organization of governments from 38 countries, is the premier
international organization for economic based policy analysis and
modeling. Through the OECD, members analyze common prob-
lems, identify best practices and coordinate national responses to
address international challenges.

One of the roles of the Environmental Policy Committee is conduct-
ing Environmental Performance Reviews of the policies of OECD
member countries and those seeking to join the OECD. These data
driven assessments help facilitate peer learning and encourage
government accountability for pursuit of environmental goals. OECD
reviews use economic and environmental data to provide coun-
try-specific recommendations to improve environmental perfor-
mance on both an individual and community scale.

In 2023—for the first time in over 15 years—the OECD conducted
the third Environmental Performance Review of the United States.
The U.S. Environmental Performance Review is focused on U.S.
approaches to address marine litter, including plastics, and
examines other high priority issues such as environmental justice
and implementation of the Bipartisan infrastructure Law and the
Inflation Reduction Act. The final Environmental Performance
Review report was released to the public and press on June 22,
2023, at the OECD's Washington Center.

The report highlights progress in addressing many environmental
pressures that the U.S. faces as a nation with such a high gross
domestic product per capita. Since the last assessment, emissions
of greenhouse gases, air pollutants, water abstractions and

Rewarding Efforts to Decrease (Jnrecycled

In September, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (Rl) and Congressman
Lloyd Doggett (TX) reintroduced the Rewarding Efforts to De-
crease Unrecvcied Contaminants in Ecosystems (REDUCE) Act
which would encourage corporations to use recycled plastic by
enacting a virgin plastic tax:

One reason corporations often utilize more virgin plastics than
recycled plastics is because of the cost advantage of the former.
The REDUCE Act would financially level the playing field by

Photos from top: OECD tnvironmental Performance Review public
release event; OECD review team field visit.

domestic material consumption have improved. However, the
report also provides recommendations for further efforts needed to
ensure achievement of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by
2050. The U.S. is one of the largest contributors to marine litter
across the globe, in part because of the high consumption levels;
OECD provided 30 recommendations for the U.S. to improve its
environmental behaviors including a strong focus on marine litter.

imposing an excise tax on virgin plastic resin. The revenue
collected from this tax would go towards a Plastic Waste
Reduction Fund. Money from this fund would be available to
make improvements to recycling infrastructure; carry out marine
debris reduction, detection, monitoring and cleanup activities;
and address environmental justice and pollution impacts from
the production of plastic. Exemptions would be available for
certain products and small businesses.

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Contaminants in Ecosystems (REDUCE) Act

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