The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program is the United States Government’s lead for addressing the impacts of marine debris on our ocean, waterways, and Great Lakes. We work with organizations around the United States and globally to prevent marine debris from entering the environment, remove it from coastal areas, better understand the problem through research and shoreline monitoring, and respond to debris created by disasters. Learn more about the Marine Debris Program here. 

A volunteer recording information from a marine debris cleanup event on a datasheet.

The International Coastal Cleanup Is Here!

It’s that time of year again, time for the International Coastal Cleanup® (ICC)! The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to support Ocean Conservancy's efforts to bring people together around the globe for this annual cleanup event. Every year, this international effort encourages hundreds of thousands of volunteers to act locally and clean up debris in their communities. Wherever you are, whoever you’re with, you can contribute to this global event and Sea The Change—even if you’re cleaning up your local neighborhood or park! Your local cleanup efforts will contribute to something bigger as people around the world remove trash, collect data, and make their mark on the problem.

Marine Debris Program Regions

In this section, you can find state or region-specific information on current marine debris projects and activities. Marine debris impacts every U.S. coastal state and territory. In order to address it, the NOAA Marine Debris Program positions coordinators around the country to provide local expertise and guidance to marine debris stakeholders.