The Ocean Protection Council has finally released their Implementation Strategy for their Resolution to Reduce and Prevent Ocean Litter.  Save Our Shores has been following this closely to make sure that statewide priorities for reducing and preventing marine debris are as strong as possible.  We are excited to see the state take important actions towards preventing marine debris by re-evaluating the widespread use of single-use disposable items. 

Some of the measures include:

• Implement a producer take-back (EPR) program for convenience food packaging: to minimize packaging waste shift responsibility for packaging materials to producers by placing physical or financial responsibility for collection and disposal of packaging waste on those throughout the distribution chain, including producers of packaging and manufacturers of products that use packaging.
  
• Prohibit single-use products that pose significant ocean litter impacts where a feasible less damaging alternative is available: this includes items like polystyrene take-out containers and single-use plastic bags.
• Assess fees on commonly littered items: these fees could be placed on items such as cigarettes so that consumers of cigarette bear the cost of cleaning them up.
• Increase enforcement of anti-litter laws 
• Prohibit smoking on state beaches and provide ash/garbage receptacles at transition points
• Ensure municipalities prevent litter from entering the storm drain system
• Develop an ocean litter data card to be used by AAB volunteers throughout the year, and an on-line database to house data
• Coordinate Education and Outreach Campaigns
• Direct state funds for litter education to the Environmental Education Initiative

In the past two years, Save Our Shores has been actively addressing and implementing many of these measures on a local level.  We are happy to see that many of our approaches are being adopted at a statewide level as we believe that a unified approach across the state will yield bigger results. 

To be fully informed on statewide marine debris reduction and prevention tactics read the entire Implementation Strategy.