{"id":136,"date":"2024-11-19T14:56:05","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T19:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/marine-debris\/?page_id=136"},"modified":"2025-01-08T14:05:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T19:05:43","slug":"projects","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/marine-debris\/projects\/","title":{"rendered":"Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Marine Debris Challenge Initiative<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) announced availability of approximately $16,000,000 (with a maximum request of $3,000,000) under the marine debris challenge initiative to support innovative, transformational research-to-application projects that will address the prevention and removal of marine debris, with award periods of three years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Title: Reducing Marine Debris at the Source: Material Replacement and Source Reduction for  Single Use Food Packaging<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Douglas Bousfield<\/em><\/a> <\/em>Colleen Walker<\/em><\/a> <\/em>Yonghao Ni<\/em><\/a> <\/em>David Neivandt<\/em><\/a> <\/em>Cindy Isenhour<\/em><\/a> <\/em>Sarah Bisson<\/em><\/a> <\/em>Dana Morse<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project aims to reduce sources of plastic marine debris so that it won\u2019t end up in the marine ecosystem. Considering the high costs of removing plastics from the ocean,   the volume of material that needs to be removed, and the fact that removing some types of debris, such as microplastics, is currently infeasible, removing them at source can ensure the reduction of plastic inflow into the oceans.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key objectives of this proposed work are:<\/p>\n\n\n