Ecosystem Targets and Supporting Indicators
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Marine debris comes in all different, shapes, sizes, and forms. During coastal clean-ups, organizations will categorize the marine debris being collected to determine specific trends. Using data from The Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Information and Data for Education and Solutions (TIDES) database, from 2013 to 2024, the Long Island Sound Partnership reports a decrease in marine debris collected per mile during coastal clean-ups in the following categories: plastic grocery bags (NY-99%; CT-97%), other (non-grocery) plastic bags (NY-80%; CT-38%), balloons (NY-96%; CT-94%), cigarettes (NY-93%; CT-93%), Styrofoam (NY-96%; CT-82%), foam cups and plates (NY-91%; CT-88%), plastic bottles (NY-94%; CT-79%), and straws/stirrers (NY-94%; CT-79%). These declines may coincide with various bans implemented in New York and Connecticut municipalities. For example, New York and Connecticut, starting March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 respectively, have implemented state-wide plastic bag bans and fees to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags. Prior to these state-wide bans, individual municipalities have implemented their own bans to jumpstart the initiative. Similar bans for balloons and styrofoam containers and packaging have also been implemented.
It is important to note that although the Long Island Sound is shared by New York and Connecticut, the states may differ in their trends. For example, while New York had a decrease (50%), Connecticut had no change in construction materials; New York experienced a decrease in bottle caps (46%), and Connecticut had no change; and Connecticut had a decrease in personal protective gear (50%), while New York experienced no change (although the personal protective equipment had only started being categorized by the International Coastal Cleanup in 2019). These differences in trends may be attributed to the runoff conditions that are dependent on local precipitation rates, infrastructure, population, and land uses.
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