Videos

Watch videos for information on marine debris and NOAA's work to address it.

Additional Multimedia Types

Marine Debris 101

Cartoon scuba diver in sea with debris.

TRASH TALK: What is Marine Debris?

Marine debris is one of the biggest pollution problems facing the world's oceans and waterways today.

Earth showing garbage patch circulation in the Pacific ocean.

TRASH TALK: What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

It’s not a floating island of trash, like a garbage dump or a landfill. It’s also not the only patch. They exist all throughout the ocean, and the Pacific Garbage Patch just happens to be the most famous.

NOAA Divers free turtle

NOAA Divers Free Green Sea Turtle from Net in Hawaii

In October 2014, a team of 17 NOAA divers sailing aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette returned from a mission to remove marine debris from Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii, a World Heritage Site and one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world.

Growing and Strengthening a Culture of Recycling to Reduce Marine Debris in Saipan's Waters

Growing and Strengthening a Culture of Recycling to Reduce Marine Debris in Saipan's Waters

With support from a NOAA Marine Debris Community-based Removal Grant, the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance, expanded local waste management infrastructure by installing mixed-waste and recycling bins at seven locations on th

Overflowing garbage can.

TRASH TALK: Where Does Marine Debris Come From?

Marine debris comes from many different sources and enters the ocean in many ways. Intentional littering and dumping are a big cause of marine debris. Sometimes the trash goes directly into the ocean, like when beachgoers don’t pick up after themselves.

Growing & Strengthening a Culture of Recycling to Reduce Marine Debris in Saipan's Waters-Carolinian

Growing & Strengthening a Culture of Recycling to Reduce Marine Debris in Saipan's Waters-Carolinian

With support from a NOAA Marine Debris Community-based Removal Grant, the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance, expanded local waste management infrastructure by installing mixed-waste and recycling bin

Animated fish with ingested garbage.

TRASH TALK: Impacts of Marine Debris

Would you want to swim at a beach littered with trash? Of course not. And the animals who live in the ocean don't either - the difference is they don't have a choice.

Growing & Strengthening a Culture of Recycling to Reduce Marine Debris in Saipan-Chamorro

Growing & Strengthening a Culture of Recycling to Reduce Marine Debris in Saipan-Chamorro

With support from a NOAA Marine Debris Community-based Removal Grant, the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance, expanded local waste management infrastructure by installing mixed-waste and recycling bin

Person placing a plastic bottle in a recycling bin.

TRASH TALK: What Can We Do About Marine Debris?

There are marine debris solutions, and together, we can prevent litter from ending up in the ocean. So what can we do? Well, the ultimate solution is prevention, and we need to keep that as our highest priority.

Trash Talk

Cartoon scuba diver in sea with debris.

TRASH TALK: What is Marine Debris?

Marine debris is one of the biggest pollution problems facing the world's oceans and waterways today.

Earth showing garbage patch circulation in the Pacific ocean.

TRASH TALK: What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

It’s not a floating island of trash, like a garbage dump or a landfill. It’s also not the only patch. They exist all throughout the ocean, and the Pacific Garbage Patch just happens to be the most famous.

Overflowing garbage can.

TRASH TALK: Where Does Marine Debris Come From?

Marine debris comes from many different sources and enters the ocean in many ways. Intentional littering and dumping are a big cause of marine debris. Sometimes the trash goes directly into the ocean, like when beachgoers don’t pick up after themselves.

Animated fish with ingested garbage.

TRASH TALK: Impacts of Marine Debris

Would you want to swim at a beach littered with trash? Of course not. And the animals who live in the ocean don't either - the difference is they don't have a choice.

Person placing a plastic bottle in a recycling bin.

TRASH TALK: What Can We Do About Marine Debris?

There are marine debris solutions, and together, we can prevent litter from ending up in the ocean. So what can we do? Well, the ultimate solution is prevention, and we need to keep that as our highest priority.

Speaker surrounded with circles contain different kinds of plastic waste.

TRASH TALK: Marine Debris and Plastics

The 5 most common items found during the International Coastal Cleanup are plastic cigarette butts, food wrappers, plastic beverage bottles, plastic bottle caps, and plastic straws & drink stirrers. Notice anything in common with those things? It's a lot of single-use, disposable plastic.

Five teenagers holding different marine debris removal tools such as a clipboard, a bucket, and measurement sticks.

Trash Counts

If you wish to be part of the solution to marine debris and are ready to do more than talk trash, watch our new TRASH COUNTS video featuring a citizen science project that is making a difference, one data entry at a time.

Two people hold a trash bin.

TRASH TALK Webinar for Educators

This webinar provides fun activities that you can organize to engage people in museums, zoos, aquariums, learning centers and schools.

All resources that are credited to NOAA are in the public domain and are free to use; however, we would appreciate you listing us as your source. For use of resources credited to other organizations, permission should be obtained from that organization.

Last updated Tue, 03/19/2024 - 21:09