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Trash Free Waters

  • Trash Free Waters Program Brochure

    View the recently updated EPA's Trash Free Waters Program Brochure (pdf) (January 2022) to learn about the program's goals, services, and accomplishments. 

  • Report on Priority Microplastics Research Needs: Update to the 2017 Microplastics Expert Workshop

    The EPA Trash Free Waters Program has updated the 2017 Microplastics Expert Workshop (MEW) report to assist the scientific research and funding communities in identifying information gaps and emerging areas of interest within microplastics research. Read the Report on Priority Microplastics Research Needs: Update to the 2017 Microplastics Expert Workshop

  • Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) TFW Grant Awardees Announced

    The EPA will provide over $725,000 total to the City of Erie, Pennsylvania and the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh to implement trash collection projects to reduce trash in Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. This funding is made available through Trash Free Waters Grants under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). 

  • Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol - An Adaptable Method for Collecting Data on Trash

    The Escaped Trash Assessment Protocol (ETAP), developed by the EPA's Trash Free Waters Program, is a quantitative survey tool which provides a standard method for collecting and assessing litter data. Download the ETAP reference manual and Excel sheet tool to start using ETAP to collect litter data. 

Most of the trash that pollutes our rivers, lakes, estuaries, and oceans comes from sources on land.  Plastic trash, in particular, threatens human health, aquatic ecosystems, and the economy. EPA’s Trash Free Waters program is reducing the volume of trash entering our waters by working with partners to implement collaborative solutions that target land-based sources. View the EPA's Trash Free Waters Program Brochure (pdf) (January 2022)  to learn more. 

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