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Mobile Baykeeper unified over 100 businesses in Mobile, Alabama behind a campaign to reduce the use of single-use items and encourage consumers to eat, stay, and shop at local businesses.
Type of Project: Prevention
Region: Gulf of America
Project Dates: October 2020 - September 2023
Who was involved?
With support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, Mobile Baykeeper collaborated with Plastic Free Gulf Coast, the Downtown Mobile Alliance, and the City of Mobile to educate and build awareness of the litter problem in Mobile, Alabama, while providing solutions to local business owners, including alternatives to single-use products.
What was the project and why is it important?
Litter is an unsightly problem in Mobile that negatively impacts the tourism industry and local economy. Because of its proximity to the Mobile River and Mobile Bay, litter from downtown Mobile can contribute to marine debris that contaminates waterways used for fishing, endangering the health of marine wildlife and the habitats on which they depend. As a result, the City of Mobile, the Downtown Mobile Alliance, and area businesses identified the need to reduce the amount of trash produced and improve the management of litter in the area.
Mobile Baykeeper partnered with local restaurants, businesses, and government agencies to encourage them to reduce the amount of waste they produce by more than 1,000 pounds per year. Ten businesses in Mobile participated in support of the Downtown Mobile Alliance’s Clean, Safe, and Beautiful program. An additional 178 Downtown Mobile Alliance member businesses and the City of Mobile prevented marine debris through a three-pronged approach: 1) hosting a powerful visual awareness and marketing campaign that used public art installations to engage the downtown public in hands-on activities; 2) helping downtown businesses switch to reusable and/or biodegradable products; and 3) implementing a public relations campaign that unified partner businesses and organizations behind a common branding that encouraged shoppers to eat, stay, and do business with the partner organizations.
What were the results?
Mobile Baykeeper and partners installed 5 "gamified" trash receptacles and 3 art installations. Gamified receptacles included cigarette ballot bin receptacles installed at local restaurants to encourage patrons to dispose of their butts by voting between two popular choices. These bins collected over 20 pounds of cigarette debris. Other gamified receptacles utilized a maze that led local grocery patrons to a trash can to encourage proper disposal, a solar panel recycling bin, and a basketball goal trash can used during Mardi Gras. The basketball receptacle was the most popular and collected over over 60 pounds of parade trash. Art installations included a Cinderella-themed mannequin whose wardrobe was crafted from recycled plastics and recovered litter, named “Litterella” by local artist Sally Heller, two photographs taken by Alexe Timoney that depicted litter in place of everyday objects, and a short film by Joseph Brennan. Project partners installed several different interception devices across the downtown area, including 3 marine debris interceptors and 11 catch basin screens to prevent Mardi Gras-related debris from entering the stormwater drainage system.
Over the course of three years, Project partners hosted 3 litter cleanups with 90 volunteers, resulting in the removal of 435 pounds of debris from the area. Mobile Baykeeper met with local businesses and organizations to discuss phasing out single-use items and hosting a workshop on marine debris. Following the workshop, 10 businesses participated in the program, diverting 75% of waste by eliminating, reusing, or replacing single-use items with another option. In total, 5,100,000 people were reached through informal education and outreach efforts.
For more information about this project, visit the Marine Debris Clearinghouse.