Preventing Plastic Marine Debris in the Great Lakes

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, with help from an advisory team, is developing a regional prevention and messaging campaign that addresses a plastic debris item of concern in the region.

Type of Project: NOAA Sea Grant-Marine Debris Program Partnership

Region: Great Lakes

Project Dates: July 2021 - June 2023

Who is involved?
In partnership with NOAA Sea Grant and the NOAA Marine Debris Program, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is leading the development of a marine debris prevention and messaging campaign for the Great Lakes region. An advisory team, made up of organizations from around the region, will be supporting the project with their expertise.

What is the project and why is it important?
Marine debris is difficult and costly to remove, especially as it breaks down over time into microplastics. Preventing marine debris from entering the Great Lakes in the first place is extremely important for protecting ecosystems and maintaining and growing healthy economies in Great Lakes states. 

To address this issue, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is developing a regional marine debris messaging campaign to prevent future debris from entering the Great Lakes. The project will be a coordinated regional and binational (U.S. and Canada) marine debris campaign to prevent the introduction of plastic debris into the Great Lakes ecosystem. This comprehensive awareness and prevention campaign will provide audiences with the necessary call(s) to action to make informed decisions about their use and disposal of plastic goods. The focused messaging campaign will also include the development of prevention kits and a strategy for outreach and distribution for the entire Great Lakes region.