Don't Trash Our Waters
Don’t Trash Our Waters is a public awareness campaign aimed at reducing litter and improving the health of New York City’s waterbodies. Trash discarded on city streets and sidewalks can wash down catch basins and end up in our surrounding waterbodies — threatening marine wildlife, putting human health at risk, negatively impacting recreational activities such as swimming, fishing and boating, and costing New York City taxpayers millions of dollars to clean up. To combat this issue, and in partnership with the New York Aquarium, The New York City Department of Sanitation, and NYC Parks, informational posters imploring New Yorkers to properly dispose of their garbage are being displayed this summer at various locations in Brooklyn’s iconic Coney Island, which will serve as a pilot site for the program.
Bright, eye-catching illustrations — featuring a dolphin, a seal, a turtle, a whale and an oyster — have been placed at the New York Aquarium, along the boardwalk, at comfort stations, on bus shelters, in subway stations, and on Sanitation garbage trucks and street sweepers around the city. These posters carry a simple message, reminding New Yorkers to do their part and properly dispose of their garbage. To help spread the message, DEP gave away free tickets to the first 1,000 people who visited the New York Aquarium on June 24.
Trash that ends up in the water can have a wide range of negative impacts — from the injury or death of marine wildlife that accidentally ingest garbage or become entangled in litter, to humans being exposed to pathogens and toxins when trash floats by where they boat, swim or fish. For more information about this campaign, please visit nyc.gov/trashfreewaters.
New York City is launching this campaign in connection with its MS4 Program, which aims to manage urban sources of stormwater runoff to protect and improve water quality. When it rains, stormwater that flows over streets and other impervious surfaces, can sweep up pollutants such as oils, chemicals, pathogens and sediments. For areas of the City served by the MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer system), the pollution carried by stormwater runoff is discharged directly into the City’s waterways, which can have a negative impact on water quality and recreational uses. To address this, the City is currently developing a comprehensive plan to prevent multiple types of pollution from entering our waterways.
By making sure litter lands in the appropriate trash receptacle, and is not carelessly discarded on the street, New Yorkers can help our marine ecosystem thrive and keep our waterways clean and healthy for future generations to enjoy.
