With the support of Global Ocean, Global Garbage and the Lighthouse Foundation, oceanographers from the University of Sao Paulo are working to create a Brazilian Marine Debris Monitoring Program. They are in the process of creating a legal entity called Project Marine Litter. This NGO will administrate the Brazilian Marine Debris Monitoring Program.

The project goals of the Marine Debris Project are to organise a diagnosis of marine debris on the Brazilian coast; to implement a Brazilian Marine Debris Monitoring Program; to raise research on the theme and to lead to discussion groups on marine debris to the relevant public administrative bodies.  In addition, they are trying to establish partnerships with the Ministry of the Environment  (Brazil) and UNEP (Regional Seas).

On 29 April 2009 there was a meeting in Brasilia at the Ministry of the Environment. The presentation of the project at the meeting of 30 April of GI-GERCO was reported to be excellent.
 The oceanographers have now created a Study Group on Marine Litter where they will hold weekly meetings both at the Fishing Institute (Government of Sao Paulo State) in Santos and at the Institute of Oceanography of USP.  They are also currently working on the content of the website of the Marine Litter Project.  

The Marine Debris Project now has four reports, please click below to read them