Debris Free Oceans

Debris Free Oceans (www.debrisfreeoceans.org) is a Miami-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Miami-Dade communities to go zero-waste!

Since its inception in 2015, Debris Free Oceans has:
- Removed over 55,000 pounds of trash from our South Florida reefs, beaches, and streets with the help of volunteers donating over 20,000 hours;
- Educated over 13,000 students about stopping plastic pollution;
- Hosted nearly 430 zero-waste events engaging 18,000 community members in waste management conversations;
- Eliminated 2 million+ single-use plastics from the Miami-Dade County waste stream;
- Co-created and launched 2 government sustainability programs engaging the business community in eliminating single-use plastics in partnership with Miami-Dade County (Plastic Free 305) and the City of Miami Beach (Plastic Free MB); and
- Mentored 10 college-aged ocean advocates over a 9-month program during which the mentees have independently organized plastic pollution presentations to 2,700 people and hosted 1,300 participants at cleanups removing 4,100 pounds.

With support from Give Miami Day, Debris Free Oceans will expand the reach of its "Debris Free Cities" initiative, whereby it funnels all program efforts into one discrete geographic region in order to maximize cultural change. Currently, we are executing our programs in Miami Beach, Hialeah, Hialeah Gardens, Coconut Grove, Miami Springs, and City of Miami. We would love to strengthen these efforts to engage more students, more businesses, and more local governments as well as create a model that other organizations can follow to implement long-lasting change in their communities to stop plastic pollution and invest in the circular economy.