Data Recording
During the Cleanup, volunteers don’t just pick up trash and debris but they RECORD information about them in a standardized OCEAN TRASH DATA FORM. They tally debris items listed in the data card which are categorized according to the most likely to be found, fishing gear, packaging materials, personal hygiene and other materials during land and underwater cleanups to ascertain how debris differs above and below the waterline. The resulting body of data becomes the Marine Debris Index which provides item -by -item, location -by -location accounting of what’s trashing the world's ocean.
The scientific accounting of trash picked up in just a few hours each year has raised people's awareness about ocean trash, the sources and behaviors that causing it in the first place. It has also served as basis for policy-making decisions and better waste management programs and for environmental-friendly product design and packaging of some business establishments and manufacturing companies.
The Ocean Trash Data Form
The Ocean Conservancy has released in 2021 the new Ocean Trash Data Form for volunteers. Additional spaces and items for other trash/debris and items not listed have been added. As designed, trash/ debris items are categorized according to the most likely to be found items, packaging, illegal dumping, fishing and boating, personal hygiene, other trash/ debris, other items not listed and the tiny trash less than 2.5 cm. These categories will not only target the material composition of the items but will also help in the study of Macro Debris (<2.5cm), their occurrence and movement in the oceans, direct impacts on marine organisms and interactions with persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
How to Record Debris Items in the Data Form
Identify the debris item collected and its classification type.
Using tick marks, count the number of each debris item and place the total number in the space provided. Put numbers, not words like several or many.
Example: Beverage bottle (plastic): /////-/////-///// = 15
Make proper estimations on the total weight of debris items.
Examples:
1 sack of trash = 7-10 kilos 1 glass beverage bottle = 0.22 kilos (www.waste360.com)
1 meter rope or fishing line = 1 pc. 1 waste car tire = 16 kilos (www.ecy.wa.gov)
Fill-in the SUMMARY OF TOTAL TRASH COLLECTED: the total number of sacks/bags used, total weight in kilograms of the sacks/bags filled and the distance covered by the cleanup in meters or kilometers (500 meters = 0.5 kilometer).
Fill-in other required information, such as, Date of Cleanup, Cleanup Site (complete location), Name of Coordinator, Name of Company/ Organization/School, Total number of people in your group and the Most Unique item you found.
TIPS:
Use a netbag, a 25- kilo sack or a pail to be able to collect and record just enough trash.
Divide your group into teams with 2 members each, one to collect, the other to record.
NOTE: Data Recording during COVID-19 Pandemic
Wear your PPEs (masks and gloves). Bring your own net bags, data form and ballpens.
Practice social distancing. Volunteers must be in pairs, one to record and the other to collect.
Collect enough trash which you can only carry and record. Use a net bag, water pail or a 25 kilos rice sack.
Use tongs, grabbers or long pointed sticks when collecting medical trash, such as, masks, gloves, syringes, IV lines, gauzes, etc. Record the item immediately and place inside a separate trash bag (preferably red, with label as hazardous trash). Tie the bag securely before disposal.
Sanitize/soap hands and tools used immediately after collecting and recording.