Description: This data layer represents estimated litter density (items m2) and is part of the 'Escaped Trash Risk Map' dataset developed by Dr. Jenna Jambeck and Kathryn Youngblood of the University of Georgia College of Engineering Circularity Informatics Lab under contract to US EPA (Trash Free Waters program). Escaped Trash Risk Map displays the results of a modeled estimate of litter density risk along roadways across the U.S. at a snapshot in time, as of September 2024. Escaped trash refers to litter that leaks out from waste management systems, whether through spillage from non-secured containers, intentional littering, or other means.Note: The litter density estimates, varying by geography, should be treated as a ‘risk map’ based on variables associated with litter density at the national level. The model does not account for impacts from local factors such as illegal dumping, street sweeping, cleanup efforts, policy implementation, and the like. Microplastics data from available studies in freshwater systems across the US are also summarized in the map. Microplastics data are insufficient to extrapolate to all domestic waterbodies.The map was developed with the University of Georgia and the Sea Education Association.For more information, please refer to: https://www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters/escaped-trash-risk-map.
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Copyright Text: Acknowledgments The Escaped Trash Risk Map was developed by Dr. Jenna Jambeck and Kathryn Youngblood of the University of Georgia College of Engineering Circularity Informatics Lab under contract to US EPA (Trash Free Waters program). Collaborators on this work included Dr. Kara Lavender Law of Sea Education Association and Dr. Marisa Morse of the University of California Santa Barbara. Thanks to Dr. Levi Helm from Arizona State University for additional support.
Data used for ETRM was provided by the University of Georgia Circularity Informatics Lab, Litterati, Debris Tracker, and the Ocean Conservancy TIDES database. Thank you to Dr. Suraj Sheth from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, for sharing GIS files for the US HD data.
We would also like to thank the Osprey Initiative, Keep America Beautiful, and River Network for providing data in the exploratory phase of this project.