The Legislature finds and declares that the presence of plastic and other non-biodegradable materials in coastal waters has an adverse effect on the quality of ocean waters, on sea mammals and other marine life, and potentially on human health; that behavior which results in ocean and beach discharges of such materials is the product, at least in part, of a lack of information and awareness on the part of the general public of the consequences of their acts; and that a public education program can play a key role in supplementing State, federal, and international efforts to reduce ocean pollution and promote a healthy marine environment.

P.L. 1988, c. 62, s. 2.