Trash and debris in the Hudson River Estuary are a persistent problem. While various clean-up programs and techniques are essential, innovative solutions are necessary to make a lasting impact. Riverkeeper and the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program (HEP) propose to engage stakeholders to develop a long-lasting, proactive solution to trash prevention and detection by addressing land-based sources of trash before it enters the waterway. Using HEP’s “Stopping Trash Where It Starts” protocols, Riverkeeper and HEP will conduct a spring “street sweep,” or litter survey, in Hoboken, focusing on litter generation and dispersal methods along the right-of-way, including sidewalks, to create linkages to the issue of floatable material or marine debris in the Estuary.
The survey locations will consist of a 400 meter stretch of road, on one side of the street, designated by cross streets for starting and ending points identified on Google Maps and coordinates. There will be a buffer distance of 300 meters from the nearest waterway. It is believed that at this distance, trash will have a higher probability of entering the waterway without incurring much obstruction.