Marine Debris
Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program (MRRP)
The Monofilament Recovery & Recycling Program (MRRP) is a statewide effort to educate the public on the problems caused by monofilament line left in the environment, to encourage recycling through a network of line recycling bins and drop-off locations, and to conduct volunteer monofilament line cleanup events. 
In Northeast Florida, the program is coordinated by Maia McGuire, Sea Grant Extension Agent. Discarded monofilament can cause an environmental hazard for fish, turtles and birds which become entangled in the line. Boat motors and people can also become entangled. Monofilament can be recycled—melted down and used to manufacture fish habitats.
Are you interested in volunteering? Check out the volunteer link on the left side of the page. Maia coordinates volunteers for bins in Nassau, Duval, St. Johns and Flagler counties.
Would you like to sponsor a monofilament recycling bin? There is a one-time cost of $75.00. View the sponsorship form. Contact Maia if you have any questions.
Are you looking for a location to take your fishing line so that it can be recycled? See recycling locations in NE Florida. For locations in other parts of the state, check the MRRP website.
Trash in the Ocean
Coastal pollution is a growing problem. In the United States, the average person throws away 5 lbs of garbage each day, about 1/4 of which is non-biodegradable—it will last for a very long time. When non-biodegradable products like tin cans (which last about 50 years), styrofoam cups (75 years), aluminum cans (200 years), plastic bottles (450 years), monofilament line (600 years) and glass jars (undetermined) end up in the marine and coastal environment, the results can be deadly.
Clear plastics (such as bags and balloons) are often mistaken for jellyfish by animals such as the endangered leatherback sea turtle. When they eat plastic, these animals will often starve to death as the plastic clogs their intestines and they can no longer digest food.
Ropes, fishing nets and fishing line can entangle and strangle many types of coastal and aquatic creatures. Even if the lines do not kill the animals, they will inflict deep wounds which are subject to infection.
Discarded containers become death traps for small creatures like crabs which may be able to get into the container, but then cannot get out because the sides are too slippery. Temperatures inside these containers may be much hotter than the outside temperature, and animals can cook inside them.
What can you do? In addition to recycling as much as possible and discarding your garbage in proper (closed) containers, do your part to help clean up the coast. Participate in organized cleanup events (contact your local solid waste department to find out when one is scheduled), or simply pick up trash when you visit a public area.
Marine Debris Timeline
Many items degrade (fall apart) in the environment because of exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This is the same thing that causes us to get a sunburn. UV rays are absorbed by the upper few centimeters (about the first inch) of water, so when items are disposed of underwater, they do not degrade as rapidly as they would on the ground. The table below shows the length of time that it takes for various items to degrade in the ocean (from Mote Marine Lab).
Click the image above to see a larger graph.