Collect.
Use a glass, metal, or other non-plastic jar or bottle to scoop samples of surface water from any local waterway - ponds, streams, rivers, lakes, bays, or oceans. Many types of plastic tend to float and accumulate near the shoreline.
Filter.
Pour the water sample over a coffee filter to remove solid debris. These debris likely include materials such as plant matter, sediment, and microplastics.
Stain.
Apply a stain to the filter that sticks to the microplastics and causes them to fluoresce (or glow) red and orange. This fluorescence is visible under a blue light with a yellow filter. Can you find the red glowing plastics in the sample here, from Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY?
Share.
Upload your results, including a photo of your filter paper. Your data will be added to the global map and database.