Georgia Impact Science & Technology Society & Culture

Debris Tracker can help solve plastic waste problem

Debris Tracker is a mobile app that allows individuals to log plastic waste pollution and has a suite of educational materials about the sources of, and solutions to, plastic waste. It is the only litter-tracking tool that enables users to learn by exploring and contributing to an open-data platform with over 2 million items tracked to date.

The app was created by University of Georgia engineering professors Jenna Jambeck and Kyle Johnsen in 2011 and is supported through a partnership with Morgan Stanley and the National Geographic Society. Together, they hope to improve understanding of the sources of plastic debris and pollution, generate scientific findings, inform solutions and inspire upstream design.