Did you know it's illegal to dump plastic or any garbage containing plastic into the nation's waterways? In fact, in lakes, rivers, bays, sounds and up to 3 miles offshore it's illegal to dump any garbage.

From three to 12 nautical miles offshore it is illegal to dump plastics, dunnage lining and packing materials that float and any garbage that is not ground to less than an inch.

Beyond that, it's illegal to dump plastics into the ocean, no matter how far out you are. And it is against the law to dump any garbage in the Great Lakes or any of their tributaries.

Vessels 26 feet or longer must display the above information in a prominent place for passengers and crew to read.  The Department of Homeland Security's Sea Partners Program offer free Garbage Dumping Restrictions stickers. The stickers are available in English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Creole and Vietnamese.

For more, see the Sea Partners Program Web site.