Laura Ludwig, director of the Center for Coastal Studies’ Marine Debris & Plastic Program, will present a talk on the impacts, removal, and repurposing of plastic marine debris found on shorelines and under the water.

“Over the course of decades spent removing abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear from the ocean, I’ve come to understand the value of collaborating with commercial fishermen, researchers, managers and recycling companies. Add artists to that list, and now you’ve got the best and highest use of otherwise unusable material. ”

The Marine Debris & Plastics Program at the Center for Coastal Studies was started in 2012, and includes a 300-person volunteer Beach Brigade which supports an active year-round shoreline cleanup and debris data collection effort on Cape Cod.

Laura has directed at-sea fishing gear removal and recycling programs in Maine and Massachusetts since 2009, working with hundreds of commercial lobstermen, shell fishermen, and other fishermen to properly dispose of thousands of lost, abandoned or discarded lobster traps and more than 80 tons of fishing gear debris including aquaculture gear recovered from the ocean floor.

Since 2006, Laura has worked as a “debris broker,” providing hundreds of tons of old or discarded rope, nets, and other plastic beach debris to craftsmen and artists who re-purpose the material, diverting it from the waste stream to be used in sculpture, artwork or doormats.

Laura has presented her work at state, regional and international conferences, including the International Marine Debris Conference in 2011 (Honolulu), 2018 (San Diego) and 2022 (Busan, South Korea). She regularly presents on marine debris and plastics issues and consults regionally on municipal plastic reduction initiatives.