On September 17, 2014, the NOAA Marine Debris Program's Southeast and Caribbean Regional Coordinator, Jason Rolfe, presented a Regional View of Marine Debris at the Second Annual Marine Debris Symposium at the Onslow County Environmental Center in coastal North Carolina.

This year's Symposium follows up from last year's successful event by focusing on debris reduction solutions on land to better prevent ocean debris. Presenters discussed innovations made by the recycling industry, emergency response planning, community awareness projects, and debris management laws aimed to ban plastic bags and mandate recycling.

Symposium, participants conducted cleanups on the public access beaches and in the near shore waters of Topsail Beach. These scientists, government workers, waste management engineers, and educators cleaned up hundreds of cigarette butts, tiny pieces of foam, and even baby diapers. They cataloged cleanup items using the Marine Debris Tracker smart phone application.

For more information, please contact Jason.Rolfe@noaa.gov.

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