MARINE DEBRIS OVERVIEW
Marine Debris Explained
Nurdles Explained
REGULATIONS/LEGISLATION
Local/Regional/State
National
- S.3127 – Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2023
- Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act
- Microbead Free Waters Act FAQ
- National Strategy to Reduce Plastic Pollution
- Extended Producer Responsibility
- The Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty
Global
- UN Environment Program Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution
- Global Plastic Laws
CLEANUP GROUPS
Local/Regional/State
- Trash Fish
- Surfrider Foundation Northern Ohio Chapter
- Drink Local, Drink Tap
- Eriesponsible
- Alliance for the Great Lakes, Adopt a Beach Program
- Local City Green Teams
- Local City Keep Ohio Beautiful Affiliates
- Partners for Clean Streams
- Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup
International
RECYCLING RESOURCES
- Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District: Type an item you need to dispose of in the search bar or select by your city to find out what can be recycled where. You can also call or email them for more information.
PLASTIC REDUCTION RESOURCES
Local/Regional/State
- Drink Local Drink Tap
- Eddie Olschansky, TrashFish
- Ohio State University Extension: Tips Sheets on Using Less Plastic
- Plastic-Free Cleveland
- Cuyahoga County Bring Your Own Bag
- Ohio Sea Grant
- Ohio Clean Marinas Program
- Alliance for the Great Lakes
- Surfrider Foundation Northern Ohio
National
- Upstream
- Break Free From Plastic
- Beyond Plastic
- Story of Stuff
- Plastic Pollution Coalition
- Sierra Club: Plastics
Global
- 5 Gyres
- The Nature Conservancy
- The Ocean Foundation
- Ocean Conservancy
- World Wildlife Fund
- Center for Biological Diversity. Oceans Plastic Pollution
- National Geographic Planet or Plastic
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
COMPOSTING
- Rust Belt Riders
- Ohio State University Extension: Backyard Composting
- Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District
TEACHING RESOURCES
- National Geographic KIDS – Plastic Pollution
- Unpacked! Plastic, Waste & Me
- NOAA Marine Debris – For Educators
- Plastic Pollution and You Curriculum
- Cuyahoga Recycles
TEXTILES/MICROFIBERS
- Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee Report on Microfiber Pollution
- Microfibers are a Macro Issue: Interagency Report on Microfiber Pollution – presentation
- What You Should Know About Microfiber Pollution – EPA Fact sheet
- 5 Gyres
- The Nature Conservancy (webinar series)
PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH ARTICLES
- Jefferson, A. J. et al. 2025. Anthropogenic litter and plastics across size classes on a mechanically groomed Great Lakes urban beach. Journal of Great Lakes Research. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0380133024002715
- Mayer, P. M. et al. 2024. Where the rubber meets the road: Emerging environmental impacts of tire wear particles and their chemical cocktails. Science of the Total Environment vol 927. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724012920
- US EPA Science and Case Studies: https://www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters/science-case-studies
- Among others…Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Opportunities to Address Tire Wear Particles In Waterways 2023.
- Jenkins, T et al. 2022. Current State of Microplastic Pollution Research Data: Trends in Availability and Sources of Open Data. Frontiers in Environmental Science vol.10. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.912107/full
- Pew Charitable Trusts. 2020. Report: Breaking the Plastic Wave: Top Findings for Preventing Plastic Pollution https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2020/07/23/breaking-the-plastic-wave-top-findings
- Geyer, R. et al. 2017. Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science Advances. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28776036/
HEALTH
- Jeong, E. et al. 2024. Animal exposure to microplastics and health effects: A review. Science Direct 10(4). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405665024000702#bib28
- Li, Y et al. 2023. Potential Health Impact of Microplastics: A Review of Environmental Distribution, Human Exposure, and Toxic Effects. Environment and Health 1 (4). https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/envhealth.3c00052
- Winiarska, E. et al. 2024. The potential impact of nano- and microplastics on human health: Understanding human health risks. Environmental Research 251. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935124004390
- Association of American Medical Colleges. 2024. Microplastics are inside us all. What does that mean for our health? https://www.aamc.org/news/microplastics-are-inside-us-all-what-does-mean-our-health
- NPR. 2024. Scientists know our bodies are full of microplastics. What are they doing to us? https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/12/18/nx-s1-5227172/microplastics-plastic-nanoparticles-health-pfas
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2024. Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Foods https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/microplastics-and-nanoplastics-foods