NOAA Economic Study Shows Marine Debris Costs California Residents Millions of Dollars

Marine debris found on Seal Beach, Orange County, California. (Credit:NOAA)

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–August 12, 2014.  Southern California residents lose millions of dollars each year avoiding littered, local beaches in favor of choosing cleaner beaches that are farther away and may cost more to reach, according to a new NOAA-funded Marine Debris Program economics study.

Reducing marine debris even by 25 percent at beaches in and near California’s Orange County could save residents roughly $32 million…