The 5 Gyres Institute Calls on Volunteers to Track Plastic Pollution Trends in U.S. National Parks
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – The 5 Gyres Institute announces the fourth annual Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz project, a community science initiative to track plastic pollution trends in U.S. National Parks and on federal lands.
Volunteers around the country can participate by collecting trash at any land managed by the federal government, including the National Park Service, National Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Fish and Wildlife Service, and logging their findings in the TrashBlitz app. This data contributes to an annual report that reveals the top items, materials, and brands found and outlines science-based recommendations to reduce waste.
Plastic has made up the majority of trash logged for the past three years, averaging 75% of all waste recorded. Single-use plastic items, including food wrappers, bottles, bottle caps/rings, cigarette butts, wipes, and fragments, are most commonly identified. The top corporate polluters primarily represent the tobacco, food, and beverage sectors, with brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Gatorade, Marlboro, and Camel topping the list.
“For three years, TrashBlitz has served as a valuable tool in tracking waste trends across national parks. From this data, we know that single-use plastic is the worst offender, and we’re seeing the same brands commonly identified in waste audits all over the world,” said Nick Kemble, Program Associate at 5 Gyres. “Systemic changes, like implementing reuse and refill systems and shifting to better alternatives, can have a real, immediate impact on reducing waste in national parks.”
The data from TrashBlitz is used to drive legislation, like the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act, and as a resource for local parks to identify problem areas and implement changes. Amid recent budget and staffing cuts in national parks, this data also serves as a tool to monitor the impact of these unprecedented changes.
“The TrashBlitz data from previous years underscores the urgent need to address plastic pollution in our national parks. Now is not the time to cut essential resources and personnel responsible for waste management, education, and park maintenance,” said Alison Waliszewski, Director of Regional Policy & Program Development at 5 Gyres. “We can all step up to help our parks during this time, and we’re calling on the public to take action by collecting data that can push forward solutions.”
Data collection will run through October 31, 2025. For more information, to read previous reports, and to sign up to volunteer, visit 5gyres.org/PlasticFreeParks. To locate a federal land near you, visit https://bit.ly/FederalLandsNearMe.
Partners supporting Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz and leading local waste audits include AI on the Beach, Californians Against Waste, Center for Environmental Health, Clean Miami Beach, Eco-Bags, Environment for the Americas, Friends of the Mississippi River, Keep Florida Beautiful, Lake Chelan Research Institute, MeMotherEarth, Mission Clean Beaches, NatureBridge, Ocean Preservation Society, Ray Brown’s Talkin’ Birds, ReThink Disposable CA, Shark Stewards, Sway, The Bay Foundation, Wild Cumberland, Yosemite Climbing Association.
About The 5 Gyres Institute
The 5 Gyres Institute (5 Gyres) is a leader in the global movement against plastic pollution with 15 years of expertise in scientific research, engagement, and education. With the original goal of answering a few key scientific questions about ocean plastics, co- founders Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins led 19 research expeditions in all five subtropical gyres, as well as many of the world’s lakes and rivers. 5 Gyres continues to lead with scientific research to drive upstream solutions through education, advocacy, and community building. Learn more at 5gyres.org and @5gyres.
About TrashBlitz
TrashBlitz is a data collection platform and community-focused research project created by The 5 Gyres Institute. The community-based project is designed to engage local stakeholders in measuring plastic pollution and other trash across various cities – from shorelines to riverbeds to urban neighborhoods – and utilizing data to generate relevant action plans. TrashBlitz provides robust research protocols, a web-based platform that identifies problem products and brands, and a network to bring diverse stakeholders together to co-create solutions to stop plastic pollution at the source.