Marine Projects
On Going: 2023 -> 2025
The Kodiak Marine Debris Removal, Recycling, and Recovery project (funded by Grant EPA-CEP-01) has five deliverable components:
Plastic Shredder
Purchase, install, and start operation of plastics shredder (completed December 2024)
Vessel Based Removal
Vessel based marine debris removal on Afognak, Shuyak, and Kodiak Island (Completed summer 2023, 2024 and 2025)
Shuyak Debris Removal
Land based marine debris removal on Shuyak Island (Summer 2025)
Outreach
Education and outreach to the public and Alaska Delegates through marine debris removal participation (August 2024 and ongoing)
Present
Present at professional conferences (Fall 2025 and Spring 2026)
The Kodiak Marine Debris Removal, Recycling, and Recovery project is a continuation and expansion of Island Trails Network’s efforts to remove plastics and other marine debris from circulation, before it can degrade further into microplastics. Old practice was to bring back debris and store it on Kodiak Island until it can be processed and/or shipped out, often to a landfill. Through a joint partnership with Ocean Plastics Recovery (OPR) and with ITN 15+ years' experience with the removal of marine debris, Senator Lisa Murkowski delegated funds to ITN, to fund a three year project to remove 100,000 lbs of marine debris and co-purchase a plastics shredder with OPR. These efforts will support expansion of local capacity of sorting and recycling marine debris, eventually leading to a marketable product. The end goal is for 90-95% of recovered materials to be recycled, with only a small amount landfilled.
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