CRRA2019

TrashBlitz-Stopping the flow of plastic from land to sea

As a native Angeleno, the ocean has always been close to Melissa Aguayo's heart. Melissa discovered environmental activism while studying International Development at UCLA. Prior to joining 5 Gyres, she was with Heal the Bay for many years growing and developing their education, outreach and volunteer programs including Coastal Cleanup Day and the Speakers Bureau program.  Melissa has presented to thousands of people in school, corporate and community group settings in both English and Spanish. She is passionate about social and environmental justice and is working to bridge that gap to create a space of collaboration, inclusivity and advocacy.

TrashBlitz aims to help cities and countries worldwide measure their plastic pollution footprint by mobilizing stakeholders throughout the community to collect data which is then used to build a solutions strategy.  The data captured will show top polluting items, brands and hotspots through the city, town or region. The findings can then be leveraged to engage organizations and community members in advocacy, legislators in policy and corporations in the circular economy and product redesign.  

In the summer of 2019, 5 Gyres will have launched TrashBlitz in Los Angeles.  We will present the findings and lessons learned from Los Angeles as well as how to run a TrashBlitz in your city to drive upstream solutions and stop the flow of plastic from land to sea.