The event marked the first installation of debris interception technologies planned as part of Operation TRAP, a project led by the University of Florida and supported by the NOAA Marine Debris Program with funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Approximately 50 individuals attended the launch to view the device and hear remarks on the project’s implementation and anticipated outcomes from speakers from NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, University of Florida, Florida Sea Grant and Pasco County. Starting at the end of March, the project team and volunteers will initiate monthly clean-ups of the devices to collect data about the amount and type of trash collected.

Operation TRAP, or “Trash Reduction in Aquatic Preserves,” aims to enhance debris capture infrastructure to immediately reduce the amount of single-use plastic materials entering Florida’s coastal waterways. The University of Florida and Florida Sea Grant are working in partnership with local governments and state aquatic preserves in both Pasco and Levy Counties, Florida to install trash capture devices to intercept litter before it enters Florida’s coastal waterways.