Trash Free Waters

  • Escaped Trash Risk Map

    The EPA's Trash Free Waters program has mapped estimated escaped trash density on land and at risk of getting into waterways in its newly released  Escaped Trash Risk Map, which displays trash density across the United States as of September 2024. 

  • Gulf of Mexico Division Funding Opportunities

    EPA’s Gulf of Mexico Division has announced four funding opportunities for applicants in the states surrounding the Gulf: Trash Free Waters – Micro/ Nanoplastics in the Gulf of Mexico, Fisher-Led Aquatic Trash Prevention and Abatement in Urban and Inland Disadvantaged Communities, Trash Free Waters Art and Slogan Competition and Understanding Water Quality through Monitoring Activities.

  • Report to Congress on Microfiber Pollution Published!

    Pursuant to a requirement of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act (P.L. 116-224), NOAA's Marine Debris Program and the Trash Free Waters Program co-led the development of a Report to Congress on behalf of the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee titled Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee Report on Microfiber Pollution. Please read this important report!

  • Puerto Rico Strategic Plan to Reduce Aquatic Debris

    The 2023-2028 Puerto Rico Strategic Plan to Reduce Aquatic Debris establishes a comprehensive framework for strategic actions to help reduce the impacts of aquatic debris on Puerto Rico and its coasts, people, and wildlife.

Most of the trash that pollutes our rivers, lakes, estuaries, and oceans comes from sources on land. Plastic trash, in particular, threatens human health, aquatic ecosystems, and the economy. EPA’s Trash Free Waters program is reducing the volume of trash entering our waters by working with partners to implement collaborative solutions that target land-based sources. View the EPA Trash Free Waters Brochure (pdf) (3.03 MB) or Trash Free Waters Program Factsheet (pdf) (6.8 MB, May 2022, EPA-842-F-22-001) to learn more.

2023 is the tenth anniversary of EPA's Trash Free Waters program (pdf) (444.46 KB, October 2023)

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Last updated on October 16, 2024