A hand wearing a NOAA Marine Debris Program glove reaching to grab plastic water bottles during a cleanup.

The 20th Anniversary of the NOAA Marine Debris Program

Twenty years ago, the NOAA Marine Debris Program was established as the U.S. Government’s lead to reduce and prevent the adverse impacts of marine debris on our ocean and Great Lakes. 

Since then, the NOAA Marine Debris Program has led national and international efforts to research, prevent, and reduce the impacts of marine debris. With the help of our partners, the marine debris community, students, teachers, and families, the NOAA Marine Debris Program supports work around the country that benefits the environment, the economy, and navigational safety. We look forward to a future where, with your help, our global ocean and its coasts are free from the impacts of marine debris.

As of 2026, the NOAA Marine Debris Program supported 364 projects; removed over 100,000,000 pounds of marine debris; and responded to 28 disasters. The first twenty years of the NOAA Marine Debris Program represent significant investments into communities and the blue economy to work towards a global ocean and its coasts free from the impacts of marine debris. 

Plastic bags, fishing traps, buoys, and other debris piled up on a shoreline of Eastern Egg Rock, Maine.

Who We Are

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program is a United States Government agency established by Congress in 2006 through the Marine Debris Act.
A hand wearing a glove with a NOAA logo on it places water bottle in a trash bag.

Our Work

Our mission is to investigate and prevent the adverse impacts of marine debris and we do this through our six main pillars: Prevention, Removal, Research, Monitoring and Detection, Response, and Coordination.
Interception technologies used to capture marine debris.

Large-Scale Marine Debris Removal Projects

Unprecedented in scope and scale, these projects are removing millions of pounds of debris, improving navigation, supporting economies, helping communities recover from disasters, and prioritizing safe shorelines and waterways across the United States.
Two people removing a derelict crab trap from the water.

Derelict Fishing Gear Removal in Virginia

Derelict crab trap removed from the York River, Virginia (Photo Credit: John Wallace/VIMS)

Two people picking up debris and placing it into a trash bag.

2017 NOAA Staff Cleanup

NOAA staff volunteer to clean up marine debris on Kingman Island, Washington, D.C. in 2017 (Photo Credit: NOAA).

Volunteers collecting marine debris on a rocky shoreline.

Boston Harbor Islands Cleanup

Volunteers cleaning up rusted metal, broken lobster traps, and other various debris during the Boston Harbor Islands Cleanup in September of 2024 (Photo Credit: Center for Coastal Studies).

An aerial shot of people lying on top of large mounds of white supersacks on a boat.

PMDP Removed Marine Debris from Kuaihelani

All of the debris collected from Missions #1 and #2 of 2024 on the deck of the Imua (Photo Credit: Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project).

An interception technology device installed in a river that has a build up of collected trash and prevented it from moving through the waterway.

Interception Technology used to Remove Marine Debris

An interception technology device installed in the Anacostia River Watershed in Maryland (Photo Credit: NOAA).

A group of people recording data on a shoreline covered in marine debris with a city skyline in the background.

MDMAP Training

NOAA staff training volunteers on the Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project in Parque Esperanza, Cataño, Puerto Rico (Photo Credit: NOAA).

Four NOAA staff members smiling for a camera with a marsh behind them.

2014 NOAA Marine Debris Program Staff

NOAA Marine Debris Program staff participating in a 2014 International Coastal Cleanup event in Washington, D.C. (Photo Credit: NOAA)

A crane used to lift a derelict vessel out of the water on a boat ramp.

Abandoned and Derelict Vessel Removal

The City of Mobile, Alabama working to remove an abandoned and derelict vessel that was displaced during Hurricane Sally in 2020 (Photo Credit: NOAA).

For citation purposes, unless otherwise noted, this article was authored by the NOAA Marine Debris Program.

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