What it is
Marine Debris Tracker is a citizen science app developed in partnership with NOAA and the University of Georgia. Users log the type, quantity, and GPS location of marine debris they encounter on beaches, waterways, and coastlines. The app uses standardized categories (plastic bottles, fishing line, cigarette butts, etc.) to build a globally consistent pollution dataset. Over 7 million items have been logged across 130+ countries since launch.
Why we picked this
Effective plastic pollution policy requires data on what is being found and where. Marine Debris Tracker provides exactly this at a scale no research team could achieve alone. The dataset has been used in peer-reviewed studies, congressional testimony, and municipal waste management planning. For beach cleanup organizers, the app transforms a feel-good activity into a data collection exercise that drives upstream policy change.
Key takeaways
- Over 7 million debris items logged across 130+ countries, creating the largest georeferenced marine debris dataset in the world.
- Plastic fragments, cigarette butts, and food packaging consistently rank as the top three categories, providing evidence for targeted packaging regulations.
- The data has been used in NOAA Marine Debris Program reports and cited in legislative proposals for single-use plastic restrictions in multiple US states.