"Look at that shoreline. None of this debris fell from the sky — it washed in from storm drains, boats, and careless littering. Thousands of tons of it sit in Florida's waters right now, and every piece has a story about how it got there."
The Scale of the Problem
Marine debris is any human-made waste that enters a body of water — plastic bottles, fishing line, derelict crab traps, tires, appliances, and construction material. The scale is staggering. Researchers estimate that Florida's waterways hold thousands of tons of debris, and the Indian River Lagoon is no exception. Every rainstorm flushes more trash from streets and storm drains straight into the lagoon. Boats lose or dump gear. Shoreline litter washes in on the tide. Because most debris never fully breaks down, it accumulates year after year — compounding the problem. Even debris you can't see, like sunken traps and microplastics, is out there doing damage. The first step to solving the problem is understanding just how much is really in the water.