Engaged Graduate Student Grants
Where Do Plastics Come From, and Where Do They Go?
Developing a community-based approach for mapping plastic sources, flows, leaks and sinks
Plastic waste is polluting the environment at an alarming rate. In 2010 alone, an estimated 4 to 12 million metric tons of plastics entered the world’s oceans. In partnership with Marine Sciences For Society, Bethany Jorgensen’s research engages two communities in Spain that are threatened by marine litter and plastic pollution. The project aims to improve assessing plastic use, management and impact at the community level through the design and implementation of a plastic mapping tool. Filling this knowledge gap through community-engaged research increases the understanding of local plastic flows, sources, leaks and sinks, which in turn helps stakeholders and decision makers know where to focus their efforts to intervene in the plastic pollution problem.
Topics: Energy, Environment and Sustainability
The Team
- Graduate student: Bethany Jorgensen, natural resources
-
Special committee chair:
Marianne Krasny, Department of Natural Resources
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Community partner: Marine Sciences For Society