Surf City and North Topsail Beach joined Topsail Beach earlier this month in banning unencapsulated polystyrene for floating docks, walkways and piers.
marine debris
July Fourth means peak crowds on sensitive barrier islands
The holiday lures thousands to Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout national seashores as well as North Carolina’s coastal reserve sites, but there are steps people can take to minimize their impact on the environment.
Interior order phases out single-use plastics on public lands
Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland issued the order Wednesday phasing out single-use plastics at department-managed sites by 2032.
Topsail Beach bans Styrofoam in floating dock construction
Topsail Island commissioners passed an ordinance last week banning the use of unencapsulated Styrofoam to build floating docks.
Carteret group plans countywide cleanup for April 23
Volunteers can meet in Peletier, Newport, Morehead City, Beaufort, Smyrna or Salter Path.
Topsail Island towns float plan to reduce plastic pollution
Topsail Beach officials are drafting what could be the state’s first ban on unencapsulated polystyrene for floating dock repair and construction, part of a Topsail Island-wide anti-pollution initiative.
Cape Hatteras Seashore cleanups set for next 8 Wednesdays
The Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the Outer Banks Kampgrounds of America Resort in Rodanthe are partnering together on a series of beach cleanups.
Plastic pollution policy stalled but litter hasn’t: Duke study
Duke’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions found that the introduction of plastic pollution policies stalled on a national and global level when COVID-19 emerged, but the fight against plastic pollution in coastal North Carolina continues.
Meeting set to discuss threatened oceanfront houses
The meeting is at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Building in Rodanthe.
Cleanup of fallen house begins; beach near site closed
The owners of the oceanfront house that collapsed in Rodanthe last week have hired a contractor to clean up the site and the miles of Cape Hatteras National Seashore beach, temporarily closed because of the widespread, dangerous debris.
Project to gauge how well storm drain traps catch litter
Cape Fear River Watch’s 80% Project is employing traps in a handful of stormwater drains in Wilmington and Leland to reduce the amount of litter that reaches the river and, ultimately, the ocean.
Reclaim crab pots recovered in the northeast until Feb. 18
Crab pots with an identifiable buoy recovered from the northeast region have been set aside for the rightful owner to claim at the North Carolina Coastal Federation office in Wanchese.
Annual project to remove lost fishing gear underway
The North Carolina Coastal Federation has begun its eighth year collecting lost fishing gear in sounds on the northern and central coast.
Coast Guard oversees removal of grounded shrimp trawler
The Coast Guard is working with the owner of a shrimp trawler that ran aground Dec. 7 to remove the vessel.
Coast Guard rescues four from disabled trawler near Duck
Coast Guard rescuers hoisted four fishermen Tuesday from a disabled fishing vessel.
New app catalogs marine debris, wildlife interactions
Anyone in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia can submit their observations of wildlife interacting with marine debris to the new Tangled in Trash app, which allows agencies to study possible solutions.
