Working With You to Make Miami Trash Free

A Collaborative Effort in the City of Miami to Tackle Plastic and Pollution in Biscayne Bay

Storyblocks / SlicedBread

Dumping Miami’s Waste Problem

Miami enjoys a deep connection to the natural environment, you are never more than a short trip to water. As the city commits to reducing plastic and waste pollution in its waters and communities, now is the time to craft data-driven solutions to benefit the environment and all who call Miami “home.”

Biscayne Bay is at a tipping point. It’s at a crisis
— City of Miami Commissioner, Ken Russell

Using Science to Put the CAP on Trash

Building on Ocean Conservancy’s Shores Forward partnership with the City of Miami, we worked with the University of Georgia’s Jambeck Research Group to launch the first Circularity Assessment Protocol (CAP) in a major United States city. The study can empower the city in decision-making and answer important questions such as how plastic is used and disposed of in Miami, what actions can change the way it is used, how circularity can be increased and what materials/items end up on the ground and, ultimately, in Miami’s waters.

Ready to read our CAP Community Action Guide?

Meaningful change comes from collective action involving both Miami decision-makers and community members. Based on findings from the CAP, we developed an action guide with all the ways Miami can make progress toward a waste-free future

Dive in to read our action guide.

Want to Dive Deeper?

The full report for our Miami CAP assessment takes a deep dive into our strategy, methodology and findings.

English: Click here to read the report.

Spanish: Haga clic aquí para leer el reporte.

Haitian Creole: Klike la a pou w li rapò a.

A Community at Work

This Circularity Assessment Protocol (CAP) is a powerful tool that can give us a clear picture of the lifecycle of plastics and debris in the city of Miami. Learn how we’re working with champions on the City Commission and Public Works and Resilience Department to help keep debris out of the Magic City’s water.

Isaac Mead-Long / Ocean Conservancy

As a mother, I am always teaching my children the importance of not littering, picking up plastics on the beach and protecting the environment.
— Resident of Little Havana, Beatriz Livingston

It Takes a Village…

Identifying the trash on the ground is just one piece of the puzzle. And while the City of Miami can create policies, implementing those policies successfully depends on collaboration and buy-in from the broader community. To create lasting change, the CAP seeks the input and perspectives of Miami residents and businesses.

Ocean Conservancy partner, Healthy Little Havana, is working on creating safe and clean public spaces in Little Havana and improve public health outcomes, learn more about their work.

Track litter and join the conversation on ISeeChange

Ocean Conservancy is helping collect reports and information from residents of the City of Miami on where trash, litter, and illegal dumping is happening. These reports are collected on ISeeChange, a global community and social media platform on which people document their experiences with environmental and climate issues and design solutions together.

Take action today by reporting what you see!

Community engagement is an important part of the CAP, but this is more than that, the CAP is truly a collaborative effort.
— Dr. Jenna Jambeck

What Is a CAP?

Dive into the components of a Circularity Assessment Protocol with Dr. Jenna Jambeck and how it helps cities tackle plastic pollution.

Community Actions to Battle Plastic and Pollution

The CAP is a collaborative and ongoing effort with partners in Miami, using science to inform policy and elevate local actions to combat marine debris. Explore videos to learn about local actions and how they connect to the CAP

City of Miami

Healthy Little Havana

CAP Transect at Pace Picnic Island

When we talk about environmental stewardship…the specific action is making our residents feel like this is their neighborhood and we have to take the right steps to take care of the earth, our rivers, and our streets because we love our neighborhood.
— Sofia Cuenca, Senior Program Manager at Healthy Little Havana

Working Towards Solutions

Conducting the CAP in the City of Miami is an opportunity to better understand plastic pollution in a United States-based riverine, urban and coastal environment. The CAP results will shape stormwater management design guidelines and help identify local policy actions that will empower local communities to take action and reimagine a healthier and more accessible Miami and Biscayne Bay.