TheLitterMermaidProject

AnOverviewofMarineLitterinMiami

LaurenM.Kitayama

ABSTRACT

Plasticpollutionhastakentheinternationalstageasaglobalenvironmentalproblem.

Despitetheglobalconsequencesitisimportanttofocusonlocalissuesandsolutions.This

reportfocusesonmarinelitterinMiamiaftera6-monthinvestigationintocleanupefforts,

research,knowledgeandknowledgegapsinBiscayneBay.Thisisfollowedbyabrief

discussionoftheeconomicthreatslitterposestoMiami,andthecurrentstateoflegislation

culminatinginanumberofrecommendationsonhowtobestproceed.

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The Litter Mermaid Project: An Overview of Marine Litter in Miami

An Internship Report

Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Miami,

Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

Degree of Master of Professional Science

In cooperation with

Debris Free Global, Inc.,dba “Debris Free Oceans”

Lauren M Kitayama Marine Conservation

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science June, 2017

Approved: ________________________________________ Tamay Ozgokmen Faculty, Department of Ocean Sciences, RSMAS ________________________________________ Manoj Shivlani Lecturer, Marine Ecosystems & Society, RSMAS ________________________________________ Cait Pomerance President, Debris Free Ocean ________________________________________ Tracy Nolan Education Director, Debris Free Ocean

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TableofContents

Introduction...........................................................................................................................................4

Background............................................................................................................................................5

Plastic:Production,Use&Pathways........................................................................................................5MarineLitter....................................................................................................................................................6Florida................................................................................................................................................................9Miami................................................................................................................................................................10

MappingMiami’sMarineLitter.....................................................................................................11

Analysis............................................................................................................................................................12Results..............................................................................................................................................................13TheLitterMermaid:2017Surveys.........................................................................................................15

Microplastics........................................................................................................................................15

Dispersal&Movements...................................................................................................................17

Recycling&WasteManagement...................................................................................................18

EconomicThreatstoMiami............................................................................................................20

Market&Non-MarketCosts......................................................................................................................20

Legislation............................................................................................................................................22

EthnographicObservations............................................................................................................23

SocioculturalPerspective..........................................................................................................................24

Recommendations.............................................................................................................................25

Conclusion............................................................................................................................................26

Acknowledgements:..........................................................................................................................27

AppendixI:Locations.......................................................................................................................28

References............................................................................................................................................29

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Introduction

Concernsaboutplasticintheoceanarenotnew.Thefirstreportsofplasticin

themarineenvironmentcomefromtheearly1960s,followedbyreportsof

ingestion(Kenyon&Kridler,1969),andentanglement(Fowler,1987).By1972,

plasticpelletsandmicroscopicfragmentswerecollectedfromtheocean’ssurfaceby

1972(Carpenter&Smith,1972),andthereweregrowingconcernsaboutchemical

toxins(Carpenteretal,1972).Inthelastdecade,interestinmarinelitterhas

resurged(Ryan,2015)takingthestageasanenvironmentalcrisisofglobalconcern

(ScientificandTechnicalAdvisoryPanel(STAP),2011).

Twodevastatingeventsrecentlybroughttheproblemtothepublic’s

attention.Thefirstwasthe2011earthquakeinJapanthatdamagedtheFukushima

nuclearpowerplant,andsentmillionsoftonsofpotentiallyradioactivedebrisinto

thePacificOcean.Thedisasterraisedquestionsaboutdispersalandaccumulationas

debrisbeganwashingupontheNorthAmericanwestcoast(NOAA,2013).The

secondwasthelossofMalaysiaFlight370andsubsequentinabilitytofindthe

wreckage.Numeroustimessearchandrescueeffortsraisedthehopesoftheworld,

beforediscoveringtheyhadfoundshippingcontainersorlargepiecesoftrashadrift

intheSouthIndianOcean(Parker,2014).

Today,plastichasbeendocumentedineveryoceanbasinandatbothpoles.

Uninhabitedislandsmilesawayfromcivilizationhavebeenfoundcoveredwith

trash.Litterhasconqueredthedeepseabeforeresearchershaveevensetdown

there(Bergmannetal,2015).

Eachyear,eightmilliontonsofplasticentertheworld’soceans;thisisthe

equivalentofadumptruckeveryminute(WorldEconomicForum(WEF),2016).

Thereare500timesmoremicroplasticfragmentsinouroceansthanstarsinour

galaxy(WEF,2016)andby2050researcherswarnthattheremaybemoreplastic

(byweight)thanfish(UNEP,2017).Evenmoretroubling,theseprojectionsmaybe

underestimatingthemarineplasticloadbyupto80%(Laversetal,2016).

ThisreportdocumentsTheLitterMermaidProject’ssix-monthinvestigation

intomarinelitterinMiami.Itlooksatcleanupefforts,currentresearch,and

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identifiesknowledgegaps.Abriefdiscussionoftheeconomicthreatslitterposesto

Miamiandthecurrentstateoflegislationisfollowedbyrecommendationsonhow

tomoveforward.

Background

Plastic:Production,Use&Pathways

Plasticisauniversalmaterial.Lightweight,cheaptoproduce,andinfinitely

versatile,itmakesup15%ofacar,and50%ofaBoeingairplane(WEF,2016).The

creationofsyntheticpolymershastransformedeveryaspectoflife.

Thefirstsyntheticplasticwascreatedin1907,butitwasafterWWIIthat

productionrapidlyexpandedandplasticbecameacommonhouseholdmaterial.Thereare

manytypesofplastic,butthemostcommonarepolyethylene(PE),polypropylene(PP),

polystyrene(styrofoam)andpolyvinyl(PVC).Chemicaladditives,suchasantioxidants,

antimicrobialsandflame-retardants,areincorporatedwithintheplasticbackbonetogive

thedesiredcharacteristics(i.e.color,flexibility,strength)(AmericanChemistryCouncil

(ACC),2017).About50%ofplasticshaveoneormorehazardouscomponentsthatcan

leachoutandcauseharm(Lithneretal,2011).Forexample,bisphenolA(BPA)isaddedto

polycarbonatetocreateahard,transparentplastic,whichcandisruptendocrinefunction.

Polystyreneandpolyvinylmonomersareknowntobecarcinogenic(Rochman,2015).

In2014,anestimated311milliontonsofplasticwasproducedglobally.Production

isexpectedtodoubleinthenexttwentyyears(WEF,2016).Chinaisthenumberone

plasticproducer(27.8%),followedbytheUS(18.5%)andEurope(18.5%)(PlasticEurope,

2015).Upto90%ofplasticisderiveddirectlyfromvirginfeedstock,consuming6%ofthe

world’spetroleumreserves.Packagingrepresents26%ofplasticuseworldwide.

Alarmingly,32%ofplasticpackagingleaksintothenaturalenvironment,includingeight

milliontonsthatentertheoceaneachyear(WEF,2016).Theglobalplasticrecyclingrateis

15%,withratesinEuropehashighas30%.TheUSplasticrecyclingrateis9%(WEF,2016;

PlasticEurope,2015;EPA,2015).

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MarineLitter

Marinelitterisofficiallydefinedas“anypersistent,manufacturedorprocessedsolid

materialdiscarded,disposedoforabandonedinthemarineandcoastalenvironment”

(UNEP,2009,p.13).Thetermcoverseverythingfromderelictshipsandlostshipping

containerstoplasticbagsandmicroplastics.Localcoastguardsoftendealwithlarge,near-

shoredebris,whichrepresentsignificantthreatstonavigationalsafety(Bright,2011).

Microplastics,ontheotherhand,aredifficulttoseewiththenakedeye,butrepresent31%

oftheworld’soceanplasticload.Theirsourcesandimpactsarenotwellunderstood,and

thereiscurrentlynoviablecleanupmethodforthem(Lusher,2015).

Usuallymarinelitteriscategorizedbysource,type,and/orsize.Thoughglass,wood,

paper,metal,andrubberallendupinthemarineenvironment,plasticisbyfarthemost

dangerousrepresentingupto95%ofmarinelitterinsomelocations(Galganietal,2015).

Marinelitterispartitionedbetweenlandandsea-basedsources.Thoughitcanbe

difficultdiscerningtheprimarysourceoflitter,thistypeofseparationcanhelpcreate

effectivelegislation.Forexample,only20%ofmarinelittercomesfromsea-basedsources

Figure1.Pathwaysbywhichland-basedlitterenterstheocean(UNEP,2016)

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partiallyduetothefactthatdumpinganddischargeareprohibitedunderinternationallaw

(Chen,2015).Theremaining80%ofmarinelittercomesfromdiffuse,land-basedsources

(Figure1).

Developingnationstendtohavehigherratesoflitterbecausewastemanagement

infrastructureexpansiondoesnotkeeppacewithconsumerdemand(OceanConservancy,

2015).65%ofallmarinelittercomesfromfivecountriesinSoutheastAsia(China,

Indonesia,Thailand,thePhilippines,andVietnam).Atthe2017UNEPOceanConferencein

NewYorkCity,thesecountriescametogetherandpledgedtokeepplasticoutoftheocean

(Harrabin,2017);(OceanAction19824);(OceanAction15986).

Identifyinglitterbytype,sizeoritemisalsousefuldependingonthegoalsofthe

studyandsamplingmethods.Forexample,researchinterestedintoxicologicaleffectsof

plasticdebrislookattheresincodeoflitter(GiacomoAvio,etal.,2015),wherestudies

concernedwiththeimpactsonmarineorganisms(e.g.seaturtles)focusonthesizeand

coloroffragments(Lazar&Gracan,2011).Nonstandardsamplingandreportingprotocols

makesitdifficulttocomparelittercompositionacrossstudies(Galganietal,2015).

Oncelitterenterstheoceanitdispersesworldwide.Onalargescale,litterwillmove

inapredictablemannerandaccumulateinoneofthefiveoceangyres(Maximenkoetal,

2012)(Figure2).However,onasmallerscalethemovementandaccumulationoflitteris

Figure2:Marinelitteraccumulatesnearthecenterofeachoceangyre(Maximenko,Hafner&Niller,2012)

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difficulttopredict.Plastichasbeenfoundintheremotestcornersoftheglobe.Astudy

lookingat22yearsofdeep-seaROVfootagefound1,537piecesoftrashinthedeep

canyonsoftheMontereyBay(Schlining,etal.,2013).UninhabitedislandsinthePacificare

coveredintrash(Lavers&Bond,2017)andsurveysconductedatbothpoleshavefound

highconcentratesofplasticdespitetheirremoteness(Cozar,etal.,2017);(Waller,etal.,

2017).

ExposuretoUVlight,salt,water,andwaveactionbreaksplasticintosmallerand

smallerpieces.Allplasticeversynthesizedstillexistssomewhereontheplanet.Aslarge

piecesbreakuptheybecomelessvisibleandmoredifficulttoremove,buttheynevertruly

degrade(Andrady,2015).

Reportsofplasticingestionbyseabirdsbeganinthelate1960’s.Today,over1,341

specieshavebeendocumentedinteractingwithmarinelitterinsomeway(AWI-LitterBase,

2017).Ingestioncancausedeaththroughstarvationeitherfromafalsesenseofsatiation

sothatanimalceasestofeed,orbylimitingnutrientuptakebecauseplastichas

accumulatedinthedigestivetracts.Asecondarythreatofingestionistoxicological.

ConcentrationsofharmfulchemicalssuchPCBs,DDT,PBDEsandPAH’shavebeenfounda

milliontimeshigheronplasticpiecesthaninsurroundingwater(InternationalPellet

Watch).Manyofthesechemicalsareknowntobeharmful,andtobioaccumulate.The

implicationsforhumanhealthisnotwellunderstood.However,recentstudiesshowthat

humansarelikelyconsumingoceanplasticwithseafood(Cauwenberghe&Janssen,2014)

andbasedonwhatweknowaboutthechemicalsassociatedwiththeseplastics,thereisa

highprobabilitythatthisiscausinghumanhealthproblems(Galloway,2015).Linking

healthissuesdirectlywithseafoodconsumptionisnearlyimpossiblegiventheamountof

dangerouschemicalsthatpeopleareexposedtodaily,andsofar,noresearchhasshown

conclusivelythatthereisaneffect.

Marinelittercanincursignificantcost,aswellaslossofrevenuetolocalareasand

industries(Ofiara&Seneca,2006).Thecostofcleaningbeachescanbecompoundedby

lossoftourismduetothehighdensityoflitter.Theillusionofdirtybeachescandeter

visitorsanddrivedowntourismrates,costinglocaleconomiesmillionsofdollars(Newman

etal,2015).Fisheriesarealsohurtbymarinelitterduetodamagedonetogear,andghost

fishing,whichcanremoveupto4.5%ofaviablefishery(Antonelisetal,2011).Theglobal

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shippingindustryisthreatenedbydamagedonetopropellers,whichcandelayshipsand

costmillionsofdollarstorepair(Newmanetal,2015).

Florida

Floridahas8,426milesoftidalshoreline,secondinthenationbehindAlaska

(NationalOceanEconomicsProject,2006).ItisborderedonthewestbytheGulfofMexico

andontheeastbytheAtlanticOcean.Thestateisknownforitssandybeaches,alligator

infestedswamps,tangledmangroveshorelinesandoffshorecoralreefs.

Floridaisthefourthmostpopulousstate,with20,612,439residents(USCensus

Bureau,2016).Itisalsothe4thlargesteconomy,behindCalifornia,Texas,andNewYork.

In2015thestate’sgrossdomesticproduction(GSP)was$840billion.Florida’slargest

industriesaretourism,agriculture,internationaltradeandaerospace/aviation(Walton,

2016).Thestate’seconomyisinextricablylinkedtotheocean.Whilecomprising56%of

thestateslandareaFlorida’scoastalcountiesrepresent77%ofthestatespopulationand

GSP(NOEP,2006).

4.7%ofFlorida’sGSP

istiedtotheocean.In2011,

thisamountedto$35billion,

$8billionofwhichcamefrom

outofstatetourists(Florida

OceanAlliance,2013).The

oceaneconomycomprisesof

livingresources(1.7%),

marinetransportation

(37.1%)marineindustry

(10.3%),andtourism/recreation(50.9%)(Figure3).ThevalueofFlorida’scoastal

economywas$584billionin2010(FloridaOceanAlliance,2013).

Beyondthequantifiableeconomiccontribution,itisalsoimportanttoacknowledge

thenon-marketvalueoftheocean.Non-marketvaluesrepresent“thevaluevisitorsplace

onthemarineresourcestheyuse,beyondwhattheyhavetopaytoaccesstheseresources”

(NOEP,2006,p.95).Non-marketvaluescanbechallengingtoestimate,buttheir

Figure3:Florida'sOceanEconomyBreakdown(FloridaOceanAlliance,2013).

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considerationiscrucialtoaccuratelyunderstandingtheimportanceoftheoceanFlorida’s

economy.

InFlorida,themajorcontributorsofnon-marketvaluearebeaches,wildlife

viewing,recreationalfishing,divingandsnorkeling.Theestimatednon-marketvalueofa

beachdayis$46perperson.Basedonthis,in2000,thenon-marketvalueofbeachusewas

$10.75billion.Wildlifeviewingisworth$9.6billion.Birdwatchingalongbringsin$6

billionayear.AfishingdayinFloridaisworth$80thatrepresentsanon-marketvalueof

$4.5billionannually.ThevalueofSCUBAdivingis$54millionandsnorkelingadds

another$1.1billioneachyear(NOEP,2006).Ultimately,thenon-marketvalueofFlorida’s

naturalmarineresourcesisaround$25.6billioneachyear.Thoughthisvalueisnot

directlyaccountedforbytraditionaleconomicanalysis,itcannotbeignored.

Miami

TheMiami-FortLauderdalemetropolitanareaaccountsfor33%ofthestate

employment,36%ofwages,35%ofthestatesGSP,and34%ofthestate’s

population,butitisonly14%ofthelandarea(NOEP,2006).Itstretches110miles

ofcoastlineacrossthreecountiesandhousesapopulationof6million,makingitthe

8thmostpopulousmetroareainthecountry(BureauofEconomicAnalysis(BEA),

2016).Thecityisnarrow,neverreachingmorethan20mileswide,which

concentratesthishighdensityofpeopledirectlyalongthecoastlineandlocal

networkofwaterways.Additionally,theareawelcomesover15.7millionvisitorsa

year(GreaterMiamiConvention&VisitorsBureau,2017).

Miamiisdemographicallyunique.Thepopulationis66.7%HispanicorLatino,and

only14.4%White.Morethanhalfofthepopulationisforeignborn,andonly27%havea

collegeeducation(USCensusBureau,2016).Withthisdiversitycomesthelargestincome

disparityintheUnitedStates(Ponczek&Lu,2016).

Miami–DadeCountycontainsonly14%ofFlorida’spopulation,butitcontributes

over16%tothestateseconomy.ThisisbecauseMiamihasa$4.6billiontouristindustry

(FloridaOceanAlliance,2013)andishometothe13thlargestshippingportintheUnited

States(LogisticsManagement,2014).Miami’seconomyisirrefutablylinkedtotheocean.

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Thislinkmakesthecityvulnerabletooceanissueslikeoceanacidification,sealevelrise,

overfishing,andmarinelitter.

MappingMiami’sMarineLitter

Datafromcoastalcleanups,especiallythedatacollectedfromtheInternational

CoastalCleanupinSeptember,areimportantforquantifyinglitterintheocean.Insome

areasthisistheonlydatathatexists

(OceanConservancy,2015).Arecent

studythatthesedatamaybe

underestimatingtheplasticloadofthe

oceanby80%,itisstillthebest

informationthatexists(Laversetal,

2016).

Thereisaveryactive

communityofbeachcleanup

organizersandvolunteersinMiami.

Morethan215cleanupsoccurredin

2016.Theseincludedparticipationin

theInternationalCoastalCleanup,and

thecountiesBaynazaevent.InMiami,asinmostplaces,plasticisthedominanttypeof

marinelitter(Figure4).

Volunteercleanup.orgisaneffectivewayofmobilizingandinformingvolunteersof

whereandwhencleanupsaretakingplaces.MonthlycleanupsoccuronVirginiaKey(run

bytheFrostScienceMuseum)andatBillBaggsStatePark.Non-profitorganizations,

includingDebrisFreeOceans,MiamiWaterkeeperandSurfriderregularlyorganize

cleanupsandoutreachevents.Still,manyofthesecleanupsdonotsort,countorlogtheir

impact,andwithoutabetterunderstandingoflitterpatterns,sourcesandmovements,

cleanupeffortswillneverkeeppacewiththeratesatwhichtrashisenteringthebay.

Todetermineifthereissignificantspatialvariationoflitterandcleanupswithin

BiscayneBay,theLitterMermaidProjectconductedabasicdistributionalanalysisusing

ArcGIS.Understandingthedistributionoftrashandcleanupeffortswillhelplocal

Figure4.PlasticisthedominanttypeoflittercollectedinMiami(OceanConservancy,2016).

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organizerschooselocationsandmaximizetheeffectsoftheirlabor.Theanalysis

consideredtwomainquestions:1)Doesmarinelittershowanyspatialtrends,eitherin

total,bymaterial,orbyspecificitem?and2)Wherearecleanupsoccurring?

MarinelitterandcleanupdatawasdownloadedfromTheOceanConservancy’s

CleanSwellapp(2016)andNOAA’sMarineDebrisTrackerapp(2017).Datawasextracted

fortheareadirectlyadjacenttoBiscayneBay,wasorganizedbycleanup,location,(latitude

andlongitude),itemtype,andquantityofeachitem.

Analysis

Datawasanalyzedinthreeways.First,thetotalswereconsidered.Then,itemswere

separatedbymaterial(plastic,fishinggear,paper/lumber,glass,metal&rubber).Finally,

thetopfiveplasticitemsfoundworldwide(bottlecaps,bottles,bags,foodwrappersand

straws)wereexamined(OceanConservancy,2016).Aseparateanalysislookedatthe

frequencyofcleanupsinagivenlocation.

Afterabasicspotcheck,datawasuploadedintoArcGISProandseparatedinto12

datasets–oneforeachmaterial(6),oneforeachitem(5),andonewithtotalquantities(1).

Amodelwasbuilttoperformbasicspatialanalysisforalltwelvedatasets(Figure5).

Densitieswerenormalizedbynumberofcleanupsthatoccurredinagivenareaand

extrapolated.

Figure5.GISmodelusedtoanalyzeloggedmarinelitteritemsinMiami

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Results

Nosignificanttrendswerefound,suggestingthatlitterisevenlydistributed

throughoutthebay.ThemeancenterswerealllocatedbetweentheRickenbackerand

Venetiancausewaysnearthecitiescenter,andstandarddistributionsspannedallofthe

northernpartofthebay.

Inanattempttobetterunderstandsmall-scalevariation,litterdensitiesforeach

datasetwereextrapolatedandmapped.Therearevariationsinthedistributionofdifferent

materials,butthesewerenotdirectlycomparednormeasuredforsignificance(Figure6).

Figure6.Interpolateddensityoflitterbasedon2016data.Plastic(n=126,740)Metal(n=2,622)Glass(n=4,727)

Theanalysislookingatcleanuplocationsidentifiedareasofhighratesofcleanups,

andrevealedlocationsthataregettinglittleattention(Figure7).Thenumberofcleanups

washighestattheVizcayaMuseum&Gardens;withhighrateswerealongthe

RickenbackercausewaytoKeyBiscayne,MathesonHammockPark,MiamiBeach,and

wheretheforkoftheMiamiRiver.FewercleanupswereidentifiedinNorthMiami,Coral

Gables,andCutlerBay.

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Spatialanalysisofcleanupdatasuggeststhattherearenotrendsinlitter

distributionthroughoutBiscayneBay.This

wassurprisinggiventheexpectationthat

materialswouldmovedifferentlybasedon

density,oceancurrents,andratesofuse.

However,itisimportanttonotethatno

significanceisstillsignificant.

Thetotaltrend,orlackthereof,is

possiblyduetotheinaccuratenormalization

foreffort.Therewasnoreliable

documentationofvolunteerhours.Without

thisinformation,datamaynotadequately

representlocallitterdensityorcomposition.

Therearealsohighratesof

uncertaintyandbiaswithinthedata,given

thecitizenscienceaspectofitscollection.It

hasbeendocumentedthatvolunteersare

morelikelytopickuplargeitemandbeselectivebycolor(Laversetal,2016)bothof

whichcouldhaveskewedtheresults.Neverthelesscitizenscienceinitiativesareusefuland

havebeenshowntobereliablesourcesofdata(Hidalgo-Ruz&Thiel,2015).Other

confoundingvariablesincludesandgroomingandtheprohibitionofglasscontainerson

mostpublicbeaches.

ItwasnotsurprisingthatcleanupswereconcentratedalongtheRickenbacker

Causeway,andMathesonHammockPark.Beachesthatarewellknownwitheasyaccess

andfreeparkingareprimelocationstoorganizevolunteers.

Furtheranalysisisneededtoascertaintrendsinregardstocleanupeffortsand

accumulation.Comparingcleanupbehavior,andlitteraccumulationwithlocallanduse

mayuncovernewtrends.Overall,amorecompletedatasetisessentialtounderstandwhat

isoccurringinBiscayneBay.

Figure7.Interpolateddensityofcleanupsbasedon2016data.

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TheLitterMermaid:2017Surveys

TheLitterMermaidProjectcollecteddatafromtwelvecleanupsinMiamibetween

MarchandJune,loggingatotalof10,821items.

Nodistributionalanalysiswasrunforthissubsetofdata.Nevertheless,

qualitativeobservationsbetweendifferentsitesstillillustratelocaltrends.

CrandonParkonKeyBiscaynecanbebrokendownintothreemainareasthat

revealeddifferentlittertrends.TheNorthCrandonshoreline,fromCrandonMarina

throughBearCut,isshallowsand,exposedatlowtides,andlinedwithmangroves.Itis

accessiblefromland,butappearsthatmostofthelitterisbeingtransportedontoshoreby

tidalcurrents.SouthCrandon(rightofCrandonMarina)bordersthegolfcourse,andis

linedwiththickmangroves.Thoughfishinglineandropewerecollectedfromthearea,

otherthanandisproportionateamountofgolfballs,itwasrefreshinglycleanandfreeof

litter.CrandonBeach,ontheeastsideofKeyBiscayne,isaneasilyaccessibleandpopular

publicbeachwithextensiveparking.Thelittercollectedtherereflectedthese

characteristics,appearingtobebeachandrecreationallybased.

ThoughHobieBeachiscleanedfrequently,asmallstretchofbeachonthenorthside

oftheRickenbackerCausewayisrarelycleaned.Thelitterconsistedmostlyofmetalbeer

caps,withasmatteringofportbasedlitter(notablyluggagetagsfromcruiseliners)that

probablydriftedontothebeachduringfallingtides.KennedyPark,inCoconutGrovehada

veryhighrateofstraws.TheAce’sIceetruckparkednearbyisthelikelysource.Thehigh

tidelineinKennethParkhadhighdensityofplasticfragments.Largerpiecesoflitterwere

probablyfilteredoutbynearbymangrovesasthetiderose,leavingbehindsmaller

fragments.ThemainlitterfoundatMathesonHammockParkwasfishingandalcohol

related.

Microplastics

Microplasticsaredefinedasplasticparticulateslessthen5mminsize(IUCN,

2017).Avastmajorityofprimarymicroplasticscomesfromland-basedactivitiesincluding

launderingsynthetictextiles(35%,37.2milliontons)anderosionoftires(28%,6.4million

tons).AccordingtotheIUCN,1.5milliontonsofprimarymicroplasticsentertheoceaneach

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year.Secondarymicroplasticsareproducedfromthedegradationoflargerpiecesofplastic

alreadyintheenvironment(IUCN,2017).

Microplasticsareubiquitousthroughouttheocean,fromdeep-seasedimentsto

surfacewaters,andfromthepolestothetropics.Theterm“microplastic”firstappearedin

theliteraturein2004.Thoughalothasbeenlearnedaboutthesesparticlesinthelast

decade,therearestillmorequestionsthananswersregardingsources,impacts,and

solutions(Thompson,2015).

Thethreatofmicroplasticsisbasedontheirsize.Withhighsurfaceareatovolume

microplasticsaccumulatetoxicchemicals,andarereadilyconsumedbyplanktonand

movedupafoodweb.Researchhasshownmicroplasticsinseafoodmeantforhuman

consumption(Cauwenberghe&Janssen,2014).Thehumanhealthimplicationsofsuch

consumptionareunknown.

Figure8.MicroplasticssampledfromMiamibeachesbytheLitterMermaidProject

TheFloridaMicroplasticAwareProgramtrainsandutilizescitizenscientiststo

monitormicroplasticsofftheFloridacoast.AsofJanuary2017,theprogramhadanalyzed

874samplesfrom315locationsacrossthestate.Ofthesamples,89%containedatleast

onemicroplastic,withanaverageof7.7piecesperliterofwater.Themajorityof

microplasticsfoundwerefibers(83%)(FloridaSeaGrant,2006)(Figure8).

PriortotheLitterMermaidProject,eightmicroplasticsampleshadbeenreportedin

theareasouthoftheRickenbackerCauseway(PlasticAware).Thesewerecollectedin

January2016,andallshowedlessthanfivepiecesofmicroplastic(average1.75

pieces/liter).Twofoundnomicroplasticsatall.Thefivesamplescollectedandprocessed

bytheLitterMermaidProjectwerethefirstcollectedateachlocation.Theseconsistently

showedmoremicroplasticsthanearlier(average13pieces/liter).Thesamplefrom

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MathesonHammockParkhadover30fibers.Evenwithoutthisanomaloussample,the

averagecountwas6.75pieces/liter.Thisisnotalargeenoughsamplesizetoclaimthat

microplasticsareincreasinginBiscayneBay.However,theglobaltrendindicatesthatthey

arerapidlyincreasingintheoceans(IUCN,2017).

Dispersal&Movements

Asstatedearlier,large-scalepatternsinoceancurrentsdominatethetransportof

marinelitterworldwide,concentratingitintheoceangyres(Figure2).Understanding

wherelitteriscomingfrom,whereitisgoing,andifthereareareasofaccumulationcould

helpincreasecleanupefficiencyand

mitigationefforts.Howevermodelingand

measuringflowonsmallscalesisdifficult.

TheFloridaCurrent,whichbecomes

theGulfStream,isthedominantocean

currentintheNorthAtlantic.The

geographyoftheCaribbeanSeaandtheGulf

ofMexicoleadstocomplexflowwithlocal

andoftenephemeraleddies.Basedon

prevailingcurrents,litterlostinthe

Caribbeancouldendupontheshoresofthe

easternUnitedStates.Someitemsfound

locallyappeartobefromCaribbean

countries,butbecauseofglobaltradeandthelargelocalSouthAmericanpopulation,

verifyingthisisimpossible.

MovementthroughBiscayneBayiscomplex.Thegeographyofthebaycausesthere

tobehighvariabilityincurrentstrength,direction,andflowandthusdispersalcapacity

betweennearbylocations.ParticlesreleasedfromCrandonBeachdonotdispersewidely

(Fiorentinoetal,2014),suggestingthattrashcollectedonthebeachissourcedfromthe

beachornearshorefishing.Contrastingly,particlesreleasedfromBillBaggsStatePark,

whichislessthen2milessouth,showsrapidandhighdispersal(Fiorentinoetal,2014)

suggestingthatlittercollectedtheremightnotbelostthere.VirginiaKeyBeachandHobie

Figure9:Driftcard&satellitetracks(CARTHE)

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BeachbothshowcomplexmovementsbasedontidepossiblyduetotheirproximitytoBear

Cut(Fiorentinoetal,2014).

Satellitedrifters,anddriftcards,releasedbytheBayDriftProject(apartnership

betweenCARTHE,UniversityofMiami,VizcayaMuseum&GardensandtheFrostScience

Museum),continuestoinvestigatethedispersaloffloatingparticleswithinthebayinorder

tounderstandhowtrashismoving(Figure 9). Theresultssofarshowverycomplex

dispersal,withnoclearpatterns.Someofthedriftcardsevenescapedthebayandwere

foundinNorthCarolina(CARTHE).

Recycling&WasteManagement

Marinelitterisnotaprobleminavacuum.Toconstructviablesolutionsitmustbe

consideredwithintheexistingwastemanagementinfrastructure.Properwaste

managementisanimportantaspectoflittermitigationefforts.Infactatthe2017UNOcean

Conference,theVicePresidentsofPlasticsfromtheAmericanChemistryCouncilexpressed

disappointmentthatemphasiswasputonbansandreducingplasticuseinsteadof

improvingwastemanagementandrecycling(Toloken,2017).

Askasecondgraderwhatrecyclingis,andthey’lltellyouthatyouputsomethings,

likebottlesandcansintoaspecialbin,andthesethingsgotobemadebackintobottlesand

cans.Asktheirparentsthesamequestion,andyougetessentiallythesameanswer.The

truthismuchmorecomplicated.

Recyclingisafor-profit,marketdrivenindustry.Thougheverythermoplasticcan

technicallybemelteddownandrecycled,butdoingsoisnotalwayscosteffective.In

today’smarket,itisstillcheapertousevirginplasticsfromfossilfuelsthantouserecycled

plastics(Hopewell,2009).Recycledplasticsareoftenimpurebecauseofoutdatedsorting

technology.Thereisrelativelylowdemandforthislowqualityplastic,whichfailsto

encouragebettersortingpracticesthuscreatingaviciouscycle.

Fixingrecyclingisgoingtorequirecoordinationandcooperationbetweenproducers,

collectors,processors,andimporters/exportersandwillbedrivenbydemandandthe

competitivecostofvirginplastics(WorldEconomicForum(WEF),2017).

TheUnitedStatesrecyclesplasticatarateofabout9%(globalrecyclingrateis

14%).Itexports2.1milliontonsofwasteplastic(worth$1.05billion)toChina.Everyyear,

19

China,eitherdirectlyorthroughHongKongimports87%oftheworld’swasteplastic.Once

thisplasticisinChina,thereisnoconclusiveevidencethatitisactuallyrecycled(Velis,

2014).

Plasticrecyclingwouldbemoreaccuratelydescribedasdowncycling.Rarelyare

plasticproductsremadeintohighqualityplastic.Insteadtheyareusedinlowerquality

productsthatarenotrecyclableandareultimatelydestinedforalandfill(Velis,2014).For

examplePET,theplasticmostbeveragebottlesaremadefrom,hasthehighestrateof

recycling,andacompetitivemarketprice(Velis,2014).Mostofthetimeitisdowncycled

intothreadandusedtomakeclothing(Hopewelletal,2009).Clothes,however,arenot

recyclable,atleastnotintermsoftheirplasticcontent,andasdiscussedearlier,thereis

growingconcernaboutmicrofibers.

Progressisbeingmade.TheWorldEconomicForumpartneredwiththeEllen

McArthurFoundationisbuildingaNewPlasticEconomy.Workingwithmanufactures,

users,recyclers,andotherimportantindustries,theyareclosingtherecyclingloop.As

notedbytheWorldEconomicForum(2016),“theoverarchingvisionoftheNewPlastic

Economyisthatplasticsneverbecomewaste;rather,theyre-entertheeconomyas

valuabletechnicalorbiologicalnutrients,”(WEF,2016,p.7).Thecurrentfocusison

redesigningplasticproducts,especiallyfoodwrappers,sothattheyarerecyclable,and

workingwithcollection,sorting,and

recyclingcompaniestobetterhandle

waste(WEF,2017).

Inadditiontomakingsure

productsaredesignedinawaythat

facilitatesrecycling,effortsmustbe

undertakentoincreasetherateand

accuracyofrecyclingbythegeneral

public.Simplelawslikebottle

depositbillssignificantlyincrease

therateofcollectionforbeverage

bottlesandcans(ContainersRecyclingInstitute,2016).

Figure10.TourofrecyclingplantinPembrokePines(3/22/17).

20

RecyclinginSouthFloridaiscomplicated.30%ofwhatiscollectedforrecyclingis

contaminated,andsenttothelandfill.TheprocessingplantinPembrokePines(Broward

County)handles50tonsofrecyclinganhour(Figure11).Incorrectrecyclingdamages

equipmentandmustbeclearedbyhand,whichleadstomillionsofdollarsofloss.

Thoughthereisoverwhelminglocalsupportforrecycling,aclearunderstandingof

theprocesses,andwhatcanandcannotberecycled,isstillmissing.Thiscoststheindustry,

andmakesitdifficulttoadvancerecyclingefforts.

EconomicThreatstoMiami

Thecostofmarinelittertoalocaleconomyischallengingtoquantify.GivenMiami’s

location,sizeanddiversity,thecityispotentiallyahugesourceoflitter,butalsoimmensely

susceptibletoeconomicconsequencesoflitter.Damagesincludedirectexpendituresmade

tomanagelitteronbeachesandreefs,andlossofrevenuefromfisheriesandshippingdue

toequipmentdamage.Itisimportanttotakeintoconsiderationthenon-marketvalueof

volunteers,lossofbiodiversity,anddamagetoreputation.

Market&Non-MarketCosts

Miami-Dade’sbeachgroomingprogram(BeachRaker),FloridaWildlifeConservation

Commission’sderelictlobstertrapremovalprogram(FWC)andFlorida’sDepartmentof

EnvironmentalProtectionCleanMarinaProgram(DEP)areobviousexpenditures.Some

costsarelessclear-cut.Ghostfishingcanremoveviablefishfromafishery,damageto

propellerscanhurttheshippingindustry,andaccumulationsoftoxinscanleadto

deteriorationofhumanhealth(NOEP,2006).Acompleteanalysisofthecounty’sbudget

andexpenditureswasnotcompletedforthisreport,butpreliminaryexaminationofreadily

availabledatasuggestthesecostscouldbesubstantial.

ThecountyofMiami-Dadespends$3.6millionayeargrooming15milesofpublic

beach(Miami-DadeCounty,FY2015-16).Recognizingtheimportanceoflitterfreebeaches

tothecitieseconomy,SouthBeachhasproposedconductingtheirownsandgrooming.This

wouldcostthecity$157,000annually(Askew,2017).

TheFloridaFishandWildlifeConservationCommissioncontractsoutaderelict

lobstertrapremovalprogramattheendofthelobsterseason,andchargestheresponsible

21

fishinglicensee$10foreachrecoveredtrap.Nodatawerefoundonhowmuchthecontract

is,norhowmanytrapsaretypicallyrecovered.

AsofMarch2015morethan200marinasinFloridahavepledgedtotheClean

MarinaProgramthatisavoluntaryprogramthataimstopreventpollution.Thecostof

implementationfallstoeachmarina,andacomprehensivelookatthecostofsuch

measureswasnotavailable.

Volunteerscontributetoeconomicproduction,eveniftimeandeffortisnot

compensatedformonetarily.Thistypeoflaborisoftennotarenotconsideredinnormal

economicanalyses(Roy&Ziemek,2000).Theestimateoflaborcostperformedby

volunteersintheUnitedStatesisabout$7billion(Roy&Ziemek,2000).

LossofrevenuetoMiami’s$6.6billionfishingindustryanddamagetoits$14billion

shippingindustryisanotherthreat.AreportoutoftheAsian-PacificEconomicCommission

(2009),oneoftheonlyreportslookingspecificallyattheeconomiccostofmarinelitter,

reportsmillionsofdollarslostannuallytothefishingandshippingindustriesfromdamage

tovesselsand(APEC,2009).IntheChesapeakeBay,removalof34,408derelictcrabpots

over6yearsincreasedlocalharvestofbluecrabs(Callinectessapidus)by27%,

correspondingto3,504Mtandvaluedat$21.3million(Schledetal,2015).

Itisevenmorechallengingtoquantifythenon-marketvalueofalitterfree

environment.Non-marketvalueslookat“importantenvironmentalandrecreational

valuesnotfoundinthemarketplace”(NOEP,2008).Howmuchdoessocietyvaluethe

abilitytosnorkelonapristinecoralreef,sunbatheonabeach,ortoviewbirdsinthe

Everglades?Onewaytoquantifythesevaluesistolookatwhatpeoplepay(orarewilling

topay)fortheseactivities.Miamihasa$5.6billiontourismindustry(FloridaOcean

Alliance,2013)peoplefromallovertheworldflocktothecitytoenjoythebeaches,warm

water,sunshineandwildlife.Researchhasshownthatlitterisafactorinlocalbeachchoice,

andthatareductioninlitter(75%)cangenerate$45millioninbenefits.Ontheotherhand,

alittereventatapopularbeachdestinationinSouthKorearesultedinlostrevenueofupto

$32million(Newmanetal,2015).

SnorkelinganddivingoncoralreefsareamongthemaindrawsofMiami.Nostudy

haslookedattheeconomicimpactslinkedtothelossoficonicspecies(manatees,turtles,

sharks,orthecoralthemselves)butsharkdivingexcursionsintheBahamasbringinas

22

muchas$40milliontothelocaleconomyeachyear(Gallagher&Hammerschlag,2011).It

islogicaltoassumethatlossofthesespecieswouldleadtolossofrevenue.

Marinelitteralsodispersesanimals’longdistancesandgreatlyincreasesthethreat

ofinvasion.Floridaalreadyhasaproblemwithinvasivespecies.Forexample,$6million

hasbeenspenttomanageBurmesepythonsintheEverglades(USFWS,2012).Marine

litterwillmostlikelyvectormarinediseases.Halofolliculinasp.,aciliatelinkedtoacoral

disease,hasbeendocumentedonfloatingmarinelitter(Kiesslingetal,2015).Itis

impossibletopredictwhichspecieswillinvadeandtheimpacts,butFlorida’smarine

ecosystemisfragileandanydegreeofinvasionthreatensitshealth.

Legislation

Themarinelitterissueisentangledinnumerouslawsatmultiplelevelsof

governmentfromInternationaldumpingregulationstocitywidebans.Eachplaysan

importantroleindealingwiththeissueondifferentscales.

Thetwomostimportantinternationalpoliciesarethe1996LondonProtocolthat

prohibitsoceandumping,andMARPOLAnnexV(1988)whichprohibitsdischargeof

plasticintotheocean(Tanaka,2012).EachRegionalSeasProgramhasamarinedebris

report,andUNEPhasrecommendedactionbetakenimmediately(UNEP,2009).In2017,

UNEPannounceditsCleanSeasInitiativetoencouragecleanupsandpromotechangesin

consumption(UNEP,2017).

TheMarineProtection,ResearchandSanctuariesAct(1972)istheUnitedStates

codificationoftheLondonProtocol,andpreventsUSflaggedshipsfromdumpingtrashinto

theocean.The2006MarineDebrisResearch,PreventionandReductionActcreated

NOAA’sMarineDebrisProgramwiththeprerogativeto“reduceandpreventthe

occurrenceandadverseimpactsofmarinedebrisonthemarineenvironmentand

navigationsafety,”(U.S.C.33§§1951-1958,2006).Inparticularitauthorizestheprogram

toassesstheimpactsofmarinelitter,improvereductioneffortsandundertakeoutreach

andeducation.

Thepowertoregulatewastemanagementandconsumptionfallstothestate.Sadly,

Floridaisamongtenstatesthathavelimitedtheabilityforlocalmunicipalitiestoregulate

plasticuse.In2008,FloridalegislatureaskedforareportfromtheDepartmentof

23

EnvironmentalProtectionaboutthethreatofplasticbags.Intheinterimastipulationthat“…nolocalgovernment,localgovernmentalagency,orstategovernmentagencymayenact

anyrule,regulation,orordinanceregardinguse,disposition,sale,prohibition,restriction,

ortaxofsuchauxiliarycontainers,wrappings,ordisposableplasticbags”(Fla.Stat.

§403.7033,2008)wasaddedtothelaw.TheFloridaDEPpublisheditsrecommendationin

2010sayingthatthelegislatureshouldtakemeasuretoencourageuseofreusablebags,

anddiscourageuseofplasticsbags.Sincethenthestatehasdonenothing,andthebanon

bansstillstands.

DespiteFlorida’sstanceonplasticregulations,partsofMiamihavemadeprogress.

MiamiBeach,in2006,bannedbeachfrontestablishmentsfromprovidingplasticstraws

(CodeoftheCityofMiamiBeach,2017).In2016,SouthBeachvotedtobanStyrofoamtake

outcontainers,andCoralGablesrecentlyvotedtobanplasticbags.Thelegalityofthemost

currentbanisnowinthehandsofthecourts(Ammann,2017).Theoutcomewillnotonly

setanimportantprecedentstatewideasothercitieshavepledgedtoregulatebagsand

plasticproductsiftheywereallowedto,butalsonationwide,tothetenotherstatesthat

havesimilarbansonbans.

TheFloridaMarineDebrisReductionPlan(2017)ismeanttoincreasecoordination

andcooperationamongstakeholders.Theplanbreaksdownitsfiveoverarchinggoalsinto

specificgoalsandactions.Theoverarchinggoalsare:1)Reducetheamountofconsumer

debris,2)reducetheamountofderelictfishinggear,3)reducetheamountofabandoned

andderelictvessels,4)increasethecapacitytorespondtoemergencydebris,and5)reduce

theimpactsonwildlifeandhabitats.Thoughthereportgivesathoroughoverviewofthe

problem,andgoodsolutions,ithasnobudget,andleavesimplementationentirelytolocal

organizations.

EthnographicObservations

Itisimportanttounderstandthesocialperspectivesthatthisissueisimbeddedin

sothateffectivepolicycanbecreated.Anethnographicstudyintothemotivationsof

cleanupcoordinatorsandvolunteersisagoodplacetostart.

Ethnographicstudiesareconductedthroughextensiveinterviewswith

stakeholders,andthroughparticipatoryobservations,whichleadtoamorein-depth

24

understandingofsocialandculturalbiasesandperspectivesthatcannotaccuratelybe

capturedorquantifiedbyasurveyorothermorestatisticallyrelevantformsofinquiry.1

SocioculturalPerspective

Organizationsthatrunbeachcleanupscanbedividedintotwogroups.Thefirstare

largerinstitutesthathaveastrongconservationandstewardshipmessage,andusebeach

cleanupsasawaytoencouragepublicinvolvement,butarenotexclusivelyconcernedwith

marinedebrisoroceanhealth.Coordinatorsfromlargeinstitutionsmayhavebetter

supportbutthisisnotalwaysthecase.Thesecondsetoforganizationsareexclusively

concernedwithmarinedebris.Theytendtoconductcleanupsmoreregularly,andworkto

reachingdiversegroupsofpeople,withtheintentofpresentinga“plasticisbadforthe

ocean”typeofconservationmessage.Thoughtherearesimilaritiesbetweenthe

coordinatorsthemselves,thetypesofinstitutionforwhichtheyworkcreateconflict

betweenidealsandpractices.Coordinatorsarenotnecessarilyexpertsinmarinedebris,

nordotheyalwayshaveabackgroundinbiologyorconservation.Mostoftentheirprimary

experienceisineducation,outreach,andeventcoordination.Thiscanleadtotheinnocent

perpetuationofmisinformation,especiallyifvolunteersviewthecoordinatorsasan

authorityonthesubject.

AccordingtotheUSBureauofLaborStatistics,womanconsistentlyvolunteermore

thanmen(27.8%to21.8%respectively)andWhitesvolunteermorethanotherethnicities

(26.4%comparedtoBlacks(19.3%),Asians(17.9%andHispanics(15.5%)).Basedon

preliminaryobservationsthesetrendsholdwhenitcomestobeachcleanupsinMiami,

whichissurprisinggiventheextremedisparitybetweentheUnitedStatesandMiami

ethniccomposition.ContrarytotheUSstatistics,whichshowsthatvolunteerratesare

lowestforpeoplebetweentheageof20to27,beachcleanupsinMiamiareabeach

cleanupsseemtoattractthisexactcohort.

Anindividual’smotivationtovolunteeratacleanupvarieswidely.Thereisalwaysa

generalsenseofconservation,evenifitdoesn’talwayspertaindirectlytotheocean.There

isalsogrowingconcerngiventhecurrentpoliticalblitzkriegagainstscienceand

1TheseinterviewswereconductedasaprojectformyPoliticalEcologycourse,andincludeinterviewswithmultiplecoordinatorsandvolunteers.

25

environmentalprotection.Cleanupsoftencatchtheattentionofnon-volunteerswhowere

alwayspositiveandinquisitive.Theywantedtoknowwhatwasgoingon,andhowtobe

involved.

Oneofthemoreinterestingobservationsincludedaformofperceptualblindness

towardslitter.Itwascommonforvolunteerstocommentonhowcleanashorelinelooked

atthebeginningofacleanup,onlytorealizethattherewasalotoflitterrightinfrontof

them.Thereisalsoagapbetweenunderstandingthatsingleuseplasticsaredestroyingthe

environment,andtheactualrefusaloftheseproducts.

Recommendations

Thereisalotofconcernaboutmarinelitter,lotsoforganizationsthatruncleanups

andadedicatedvolunteerforce.Whatis

neededisawaytoharnessthisina

scientificallyproductivemanner.Whatis

beingadvocatedforisacitizenscience

networkthatlogsdatafromcleanups,helps

coordinatetimesandlocationsandopensa

lineofcommunicationbetweencleanup

organizers,otherresearchersand

volunteers.Thisnetworkshouldutilize

alreadyexistingplatformssuchas

volunteercleanup.org.Allcleanupsshould

bepostedhere,andeffortsshouldbemade

todrivetraffictothesite.

Thistypeofnetworkwouldbeable

tospreadoutcleanupeffortsmoreevenlyaroundthebay,workingtogethertocomeup

withfunandinnovativewaystoaccesslessaccessibleareas(suchaspartneringwithkayak

andSUPrentalshopsandconductingcleanupsfromthewaterliketheDebrisFreeOceans

Kayak/SUPcleanupsrunoutofCrandonMarina).

Coordinationcouldbetterutilizetheinterestedvolunteerforcebynotoverlapping

times.Itwillalsoallowforthesharingofequipmentandopenadialogueaboutwhat

1) CitizenScienceNetworka. LoggingDatab.Time&Locationsc. Equipmentd.Observationse. Researchcoordination

2) EconomicRiskAssessmenta. Identifystakeholdersb.Fundingopportunitiesc. Truethreat

3) ImprovePrevention4) SupportLegislation

Figure11:Recommendedaction

26

works,andnewlitterobservationsandtrends.Itisimportantthatthisnetworksupport

differenttypesofresearch.Thiscanbeassimpleastakingmicroplasticsamplesatevery

beachcleanup,andmakingsurevolunteersrecognizedriftcardsandknowhowtoreport

theirdiscovery.AdetailedprofileofmarinelitteronMiami’sbeacheswillhelpidentifylocal

itemsofconcernandcreateadetailedunderstandingofgeneraldistribution,variationsin

distribution,andtemporalchanges.

AcompleteeconomicanalysisdetailingtheimpactsofmarinelitteronMiami’slocal

economywillhelpquantifythethreat.Thistypeofanalysiswillidentifynewstakeholders

andofferawaytoengagethem.Monetizingtheimpactmaypresentfundingopportunities

forresearch,outreachandmitigation.Itcouldalsobeusedtopersuadethepassageof

legislation.

Itisalsoimportanttopursueactionsthatpreventtrashfromendingupinthe

environment.Confusionremainsinregardstowhatmaterialsanditemsarerecyclablein

Miami,butadditionaleducationcouldimprovetheaccuracyofpublicrecycling.Upgrading

insortingandprocessingtechniquesandincreasingnumberofrecyclingbinsnearbeaches

andpublicareaswillalsohelp.

Workingwithlocalbusinessestochangetheirhabitsshouldalsobeapriority,

especiallybusinesseswithaclearconnectiontolitter.Alongtheselines,itisimportantto

continuetopursueeffortstobanthemostprevalent,single-useplasticproducts(bags,

straws,balloons,etc).TheoutcomeofthelegalactionssurroundingtheCoralGablesplastic

bagbanwillsetanimportantprecedentthroughoutthestate,asothercitieshaveclaimed

theywouldbewillingtoenactsuchbansifthestateweretoallowit.

Conclusion

Concernsaboutplasticlitterintheoceanhasincreasedgreatlyoverthepast

decade,becominganinternationalpriorityin2011andatopicoffocusatthe2017

UNOceanConference.Marineplasticlittercomesinmanyshapes,sizes,andcolors

andthreatenswildlife,oceanhealth,andhumanhealth.Miami’scharacteristics

createapotentialsourceofsignificantamountsofmarinelitter,whichinturnmakes

itvulnerabletotheimpacts.Thusunderstandingwherelitteriscomingfrom,howit

27

ismovingthroughBiscayneBay,andwhatthreatitrepresentstolocalecosystems

andeconomyisessentialtounderstandingandcombattingtheissue.

Researchlookingatmicroplasticsandmovementhasrevealedthatthelocal

dynamicsarecomplex.Litterseemstobeevenlyspreadacrosslocalbeaches,

thoughcleanupeffortsareconcentratedalongtheRickenbackercauseway.A

comprehensivestudyshouldbecompletedtounderstandhowsignificantthe

economicriskistoMiami.

Marinelitterisaglobalissue,butalltoooftenitispresentedasan

insurmountableproblemintheworlds’oceanshurtinganimalsmostpeoplehave

neverseeninplacesthatcannotbeidentifyonamap.Insteadfocusshouldbeon

howlitterisimpactinglocalbeachesandwildlife,andhowcommunitiescanmake

smallchangestoprotecttheirlocalenvironment.

Acknowledgements:

IwouldliketothankDebrisFreeOceansforsupportingmeandtrustingmewiththe

autonomytopursuethisinvestigationonmyownterms.Iwouldalsoliketothankthe

membersofmyinternshipcommittee:TamayOzgokmen,ManojShivlani,CaitiPomerance,

andTracyNolan,fortheirencouragementandassistance.Finally,Iwouldliketothankmy

family&friends,especiallymyparents,forhumoringmydream,andsupportingmy

decisiontomoveacrossthecountryinpursuitofit.

28

AppendixI:Locations

29

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