Farmingville, NY - On September 10, Supervisor Ed Romaine (left) was in Mount Sinai Harbor with staff from the Town’s Division of Environmental Protection to launch the Microplastic Survey program, which will help the Town study their impact on marine life. The survey will take place in Stony Brook, Setauket and Port Jefferson harbors and a database will be created for further study. The Town will then work with a local college or university to study the results of the survey and determine what action should be taken to reduce their impact. Microplastics are small bits of discarded plastics, including fragments of synthetic clothing, cosmetics, plastic bottles, fishing line, plastic bags and more. These toxic items may take hundreds and even thousands of years to degrade. Microplastics account for 92% of plastic pollutants on the surface of the ocean.
Supervisor Ed Romaine said, “Plastics are becoming a big part of our environmental problem because they don’t biodegrade, threatening marine life in our eco-system. By doing this survey, we can have a better understanding of the impact of microplastics on our waterways.”
Division of Public Information * Office of the Supervisor
One Independence Hill • Farmingville • NY 11738 • Phone 631-451-6595