The Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative conducted data collection in three pilot cities in April 2021 before expanding to additional data collection sites in the Quad Cities area in October 2021. Data collection most recently wrapped up in the Mississippi Delta region in the Summer of 2022.
This data collection supports a commitment made in September 2018 by state legislators and mayors of cities and towns along the Mississippi River committed to reduce plastic waste in the Mississippi River Valley. Under the leadership of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI), mayors invited public and private entities to reduce their plastic use or waste stream by 20% by 2020.
Initial pilot phase data collection took place in Baton Rouge, LA; St. Louis, MO; and St. Paul, MN during the Spring of 2021. Using the free Debris Tracker app, these pilot cities collected and recorded data on plastic pollution along the Mississippi River to generate a first-ever snapshot of marine debris along the river. As pilot locations, these cities also promoted education and outreach materials about plastics and inland waters, and supported local data collection events in their communities. Final results from this phase of data collection can be found here.
Data collection continued during the fall of 2021 in the Quad Cities, with support from Bettendorf, IA; Davenport, IA; East Moline, IL; Moline, IL; Riverdale, IA; Rock Island, IL and Coal Valley, IL. Final results from this phase of data collection can be found here.
The initiative has now expanded to the Mississippi Delta Region in partnership with Rosedale and Greenville, Mississippi.
These cities have played a critical role in the initial project phase of data collection, working in close cooperation with UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) North America Office and partners.
Greenville is a city in Washington County, Mississippi. It is located in the area of historic cotton plantations and culture known as the Mississippi Delta, and has a population of about 30,000. Greenville is located on the eastern bank of Lake Ferguson, an oxbow lake left from an old channel of the Mississippi River.
Rosedale is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi situated on the eastern side of the Mississippi River. The city now has a population of about 2,000 people, and has historically been located in an agricultural area.
The Mississippi River flows East to West throughout the Quad Cities, a bi-state metropolitan area with five neighboring cities in both Iowa and Illinois. Plastic pollution data collection took place from 1 - 31 October 2021 throughout the Quad Cities. Click here for more information.
Baton Rouge represents the lower river of the Mississippi. Located in Southeastern Louisiana, Baton Rouge is situated at the mouth of the Mississippi River and remains an integral part of the nation’s logistics and energy networks. Plastic pollution data collection was done in this city as of April 10, 2021. Learn more here in our press release.
The city of St. Louis represents the middle of the Mississippi River. Sitting on the western bank of the river, St. Louis is one of the major cities in the river valley area. A major distribution and transportation center, the city remains a major part of the inland waterway system. The city conducted data collection for the Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative on 17 April, 2021. Learn more in our press release.
St. Paul represents the upper river of the Mississippi. As the capital of Minnesota, St. Paul has a large commercial, manufacturing and transportation industry. The city has more shoreline on the Mississippi than any other city and is head of navigation of the river. Learn more about data collection in St. Paul in our press release.
