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Marine Litter Watch launches a new app to tackle Marine Plastic Waste

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    • 2026
      • South Pacific I: Auckland to Bay of Islands
      • South Pacific II: Bay of Islands to Tongatapu
      • South Pacific III: Tongatapu to Vava’u
      • Arctic: Ilulissat to Nuuk
    • 2027
      • Caribbean I: St Lucia to Sint Maarten
      • Caribbean II: Sint Maarten to Curaçao
      • Caribbean III: Curaçao to Aruba
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      • North Pacific II: Vancouver to Seattle
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March 4, 2014

A new app has been launched by the Marine Litter Watch team from the European Environment Agency. We are proud to shout about this initiative to tackle plastic pollution especially as one of the team who created it, Constança  Belchoir, will join us on eXXpedition 2014. We can’t wait to use this in a marine litter actions. Bravo Constança and her team!!

Huge amounts of plastic and other debris are increasingly found in the sea, harming marine wildlife and potentially threatening human health. However, the composition, movement and origins of rubbish ending up in our seas and on beaches are still not widely understood.

To help understand this issue, the EEA is launching Marine Litter Watch, which uses modern technology to help tackle the problem of marine litter. Organised groups and members of the public can use the app to upload data on the litter they find on their beach. This data will be used to better understand the problem, and will hopefully help support a policy response as formulated in the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The app is currently available for Android devices and will soon be published for iPhone and iPad.

Sourced from: http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/new-mobile-phone-app-will

by drlucygilliam
Filed under Atlantic 2014

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Previous post Welcome aboard Jen Pate, our filmmaker! March 3, 2014
Next post Welcome aboard Constança - Our European Policy Guru on Marine Litter! March 21, 2014
Science on the front lines. 🧪⛵ Plastic pollu Science on the front lines. 🧪⛵

Plastic pollution is everywhere - yet so much of it remains hidden out at sea.

On every eXXpedition voyage, our crew conducts hands-on research to uncover the true scale and sources of microplastics. But collecting data onboard is just the start. We put these scientific findings directly into the hands of decision-makers to accelerate solutions back on land. 📈💡

Groundbreaking research. Unforgettable experience. Lasting change.

🌊 Want to contribute to world-class ocean research? Head to the link in our bio to find out more.

📸
Naomi Hansen
Sophie Dingwall
Sibel Bulay
Eleanor Church
Pallavi Dave
Britta Baechler
Karlijn Sibbel
eXXpedition first set sail in 2014. Right from the eXXpedition first set sail in 2014. Right from the start, we knew we needed two things: solid data and powerful stories. 🌊

Over the years this has developed into our 3 key pillars on how we drive impact:

SCIENCE: We collect data at sea and on land to deepen our understanding of plastic pollution and inform effective solutions.

STORYTELLING: We shine a light on a problem that is often out of sight, amplifying the voices of the people and communities tackling it firsthand.

CHANGEMAKERS: The real magic happens when we bring incredible women together onboard, empowering them to unlock their superpowers and drive change in their communities, workplaces, and beyond.

Head to our website to find out more via the link in bio. 

📸: 
Emily Muir 
33Seconds 
Emily Penn
eXXpedition

#eXXpedition
Thank you to everyone who joined us for a special Thank you to everyone who joined us for a special evening at @notpla HQ exploring what we’ve learned from our expeditions, the connections between ocean and human health, and how we turn research into action.

We talked openly about what it’s like to come face to face with plastic pollution in some of the most remote parts of the South Pacific, places you’d expect to be untouched, and what we found there. But we didn’t stop at the problem. We spent just as much time on the solutions that already exist, including using seaweed as a genuine alternative to plastic.

Huge thanks to our eXXpedition ambassadors Karlijn Sibbel, Naomi Hansen, and Hannah Cook for a thoughtful conversation spanning our experiences at sea, material innovation, and what needs to happen upstream to create change at scale.

We were also treated to a tour of the Notpla facilities, with a behind-the-scenes look at the materials and products being developed there. Seeing seaweed-based innovation up close was a real highlight.

The room was buzzing and the conversations that happened before, during and after the panel made the evening unforgetable – and it was wonderful to see so many faces from the wider eXXpedition community in the audience

It was a reminder of challenge we face, as well as the incredible solutions that exist. Evenings like this show how many brilliant people are ready to act.
"We've got a big line up of expeditions in 2027 an "We've got a big line up of expeditions in 2027 and first up is eXXpedition Caribbean! ⛵🌊

The Caribbean is one of the most vibrant regions on Earth, but booming tourism and limited land have created a waste crisis that impacts every shore. Because these island nations share the same waters, one island’s plastic challenge becomes a shared regional story.

This Janaury, eXXpedition will be sailing through these islands to trace plastic pollution from sea to source and drive real, lasting solutions. 🧪📊

We are allocating the final few places for these expeditions right now:

⛵ eXXpedition Caribbean I: St. Lucia to Sint Maarten | 28th Dec 2026 – 3rd Jan 2027
⛵ eXXpedition Caribbean II: Sint Maarten to Curaçao | 7th - 14th Jan 2027
⛵ eXXpedition Caribbean III: Curaçao to Aruba | 18th - 26th Jan 2027

If you'd like to be considered to join one please head to the link in our bio to apply today. ✨

📸: 
Anna Strang
Sophie Dingwall
Sally Earthrowl

#eXXpedition #Caribbean #Sailing"
What does plastic pollution actually look like in What does plastic pollution actually look like in our ocean? 🌊

You might imagine the plastic pollution out there in piles that look like islands. Something a boat could scoop up, clean up, problem solved.

But when @missemilypenn got to the middle of the Pacific Ocean, that’s not what she found. It wasn’t until she used a fine mesh net that the plastic showed up: tiny fragments, broken down by the wind, the waves, and UV rays. Multiply that by the 8 million tons of plastic entering our ocean every year, and you start to see why this isn’t a problem you can just “clean up.”

So she thought: why not start tackling this from sea to source with an amazing team of women?

That’s how eXXpedition was born. 

📸: 
Emily Muir 
33Seconds 
Emily Penn
eXXpedition

#eXXpedition
We’re excited to bring @exxpedition_ to @notpla We’re excited to bring @exxpedition_ to @notpla HQ in London this October! ⛵ 

On 12 October, we’ll be hosting a special evening bringing together some brilliant people to explore what we’ve learned from our expeditions, the connections between ocean and human health, and how we can turn greater understanding into action.

Our founder @missemilypenn be joined by @naomi.hns, @karlijnsibbel and Hannah Cook for a conversation spanning our experiences at sea, material innovation and what needs to happen upstream to create change at scale.

We’ll hear first-hand stories and discoveries from eXXpedition’s South Pacific missions, alongside a behind-the-scenes look at some of the materials and products being developed at Notpla.

12 October 2026 | 6–9pm | Notpla HQ, Hackney Wick

We have limited spaces left for the event, so DM us if you’d like an invitation link.

#eXXpedition #OceanHealth #MaterialInnovation
Have you spotted any plastic during the summer hol Have you spotted any plastic during the summer holidays? 🕵️‍♀️

This is just a fraction of the plastic @karlijnsibbel came across in Tonga during our eXXpedition.

Remote island nations like Tonga face a tough problem: takeaway boxes, cups, and processed food packaging are increasingly shipped in - single-use items the islands never used to deal with.

With limited space and resources for waste management, much of this plastic ends up polluting these paradise nations, breaking down into microplastics that harm the region's rich biodiversity. And us too.

Our mission is to collect the data that helps trace this plastic from sea to source. Using the Circularity Assessment Protocol, developed by Dr. Jenna Jambeck and her team at the University of Georgia, we gather data on each expedition to help drive real solutions.

#exxpedition #plasticpollution #microplastics #science

🎥: Karlijn Sibbel
This is how it started for our founder, @missemily This is how it started for our founder, @missemilypenn... 

Hitchhiking to a job as an architect in Australia, she ran into plastic pollution in one of the most remote parts of the ocean (so remote, the nearest people were literally in space). She couldn't unsee it. That moment helped set her on the path to co-founding eXXpedition.

Tune in to hear more about the moment that led to our mission. 💙

📸: 
Emily Muir 
33Seconds 
Emily Penn
eXXpedition

#eXXpedition
Behind every voyage is a team of women turning cur Behind every voyage is a team of women turning curiosity into evidence. 

On our most recent Arctic expedition, we collected data that helps build a clearer picture of plastic pollution.

Together, the crew completed:
• 45 land litter transects
• 15 manta trawls
• 280 FTIR sample analyses
• Logged 3,313 litter items
• Surveyed 4 food vendors
• Surveyed 6 local stores

Every transect, sample and survey contributes to a growing body of data that helps us better understand - and tackle - plastic pollution. 

Thank you to our partners for making the mission possible, and all of the crew members who were onboard in the northernmost point we've ever been on our eXXpeditions, collecting and analysing this data to help make the unseen seen. 

#eXXpedition

eXXpedition Arctic Partners: 
Kensington: @kensingtontours
UGA: @universityofga
PerkinElmer: @perkinelmer
Panexplore: @panexplore 

eXXpedition Arctic Crew: 
@_winniecj 
@heinzlmine
@katysetssail
@lyly.man | supported by @OceanConservancy 
@waverly.wadsworth
@Lstarnes21
@katya_pei
@nat_foote

📸: Lyssa Manning
Our Arctic expedition delivered some unforgettable Our Arctic expedition delivered some unforgettable wildlife encounters.

We picked our top 3, but which is your favourite? Vote in the comments! 👇

📸 @katysetssail
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