The Plastic Debris, Rivers to Sea Conference
September 7-9, 2005

About the Plastic Debris, Rivers to Sea Project

The Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF) has been studying the North Pacific Ocean to quantify the amount of plastic floating on the surface. In 2000, AMRF and the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) discovered that the mass of plastic floating on the surface of the North Pacific Central Gyre was six times greater than that of plankton. The study they conducted the following year showed that the mass of plastic and anthropogenic debris in coastal waters near Long Beach, California contained three times as much plastic and anthropogenic debris, and the debris was present throughout the water column, from the surface waters down to the sediments. 

Because it is generally recognized that most of the plastic and anthropogenic debris in the world’s oceans (nearly 80%) comes from urban runoff and other land-based sources, AMRF and the Commission joined forces in 2003 on a project to assess and reduce plastics and trash in urban runoff. AMRF is the lead implementer of the project and the Commission is assisting in its implementation. The State Water Resources Control Board is funding the project by a Prop 13 water quality grant.

About the Conference

The Commission, AMRF, and the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment are collaborating to produce a conference that will showcase the findings of the project. The State Water Resources Control Board and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are major co-sponsors. The conference will also present the research of other organizations contributing to the knowledge base about the primary source of marine debris, plastic and trash in urban runoff.  In addition, presentations and facilitated dialogue will focus on solutions, and a final workshop will allow participants an opportunity to have input on the Project’s draft Action Plan for reducing the inputs of plastic and trash to the marine environment for the State of California.

Conference Goals

• Bring attention to the issue of plastics in the marine environment with the goal of fostering action to stem the flow of plastics from urban areas to the marine environment;
  
• Present recent and previous research conducted by AMRF and other research organizations that quantify the problem and help us to understand the sources and impacts of the problem;
• Address the types of human activity that cause the problem;
  
• Bring together experts from the disparate environmental fields of marine debris, non-point source pollution, waste management, and storm water control, all of which are related to this issue, to dialogue and consider ways to harmonize their work towards reducing the release of plastic and other debris;
  
• Foster a dialogue about solutions, which will lead to refining the draft Action Plan for the State of California. The Action Plan is one of the products of the AMRF / CCC Plastic Debris, Rivers to Sea project.

General Content of the Conference

The Commission and AMRF envision a 2-day conference focused on the presentations related to the sources, impacts and solutions for plastics in the marine environment. Speakers from around the world and local experts are being invited to present the results of research in the fields of marine debris, urban runoff, and solid waste management and to present programs that implement solutions to marine debris problems. Participants will have opportunities to share insights into what will work locally, in California and the United States.

The third day will allow for two additional workshops. The first workshop will focus on refining the Project’s draft Action Plan for the state of California addressing strategies to reduce the flow of plastic and trash in urban runoff to coastal waters.  The workshop will solicit feedback from workshop participants on the draft Action Plan.

The second workshop will provide training for resin producers, processors, packages and transporters of plastics and will focus on teaching facility managers and staff to prevent the discharge of pre-production plastic pellets and powders through storm water discharge. This training will focus on the measures outlined in the Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) program, an industry-developed program of voluntary best management practices for plastics facilities.

For more information, contact:

Miriam Gordon
California Coastal Commission
45 Fremont Street, Suite 2000
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 904-5214
mgordon@coastal.ca.gov