Has your boat or ship been to a port outside of the continental United States or Canada within the last 

2 years? Has it been to a port in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands in the last year? 

If you answered yes to either of these questions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) would like you to know that the garbage from your boat or ship is 

regulated and must be disposed of per APHIS regulations, regardless of where your stores were purchased. 

 

What Does This Mean?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, please ensure that all garbage is placed in covered, 

leak-proof containers within the vessel railings while in U.S. waters. If you plan to off-load your 

garbage, please contact the APHIS office nearest you to notify us of your intention to off-load garbage.

Regulated garbage cannot be thrown into domestic garbage containers or be taken to the 

local landfill. All regulated garbage off-loaded from a vessel in the United States must be placed in a 

container labeled as “Foreign Garbage,” “Regulated Garbage,” or “International Garbage.” 

In order to prevent the introduction and spread of plant pests and animal diseases into the United 

States, APHIS regulates any garbage that is of plant or animal origin, including food scraps, packaging 

materials, and any items that have come in contact with these materials. It must be handled by an 

APHIS-approved facility that is capable of incinerating or sterilizing the garbage. Dumping of 

regulated garbage into U.S. territorial waters or non-designated garbage receptacles is illegal, and 

under Federal law, you can be fined or criminally prosecuted for such actions. More information is 

available on the USDA APHIS Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov. Click on “Plant Health,” then “Import 

into the U.S.,” and then “Regulated Garbage.” 

Help protect American agriculture—

dispose of your ship’s garbage properly!

ATTENTION SHIPOWNERS: 

Where’s Your Garbage Going?

United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
If you have questions about where to dispose of regulated garbage properly, what constitutes 

regulated garbage, or any other information on this topic, please contact the APHIS plant health 

director in your State (www.aphis.usda.gov/planthealth/sphd) or the APHIS veterinary medical officer 

nearest you (see below).

Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, 

Texas (Central and Western), Wyoming

Phone: (214) 325-9335

American Samoa, California, Northern 

Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, 

Nevada, Utah

Phone: (310) 955-3331

Alaska, Idaho, Minnesota (North Border), 

Montana, Oregon, Washington (State), 

North Dakota

Phone: (206) 878-6617

Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio

Phone: (734) 782-5584

Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York City 

Metro Area, New Jersey (Northern), 

Rhode Island

Phone: (718) 553-3541

Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas (Eastern), 

Missouri, Kansas

Phone: (713) 393-1014

National Policy Manager—Regulated Garbage

APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine

U.S. Department of Agriculture

4700 River Rd. 

Riverdale, MD 20737

Phone: (301) 851-2312

APHIS Veterinary Medical Officers

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Program Aid No. 2023 • Revised October 2014

Puerto Rico, South Florida, 

U.S. Virgin Islands

Phone: (787) 919-0593

Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, 

South Dakota, Wisconsin

Phone: (847) 699-2404

Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, 

New Jersey (Southern), New York (except 

New York City), Pennsylvania, Vermont

Phone: (856) 297-4774

Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, 

West Virginia

Phone: (757) 262-7383

Alabama (Southern), Florida (Northern 

and Central), Mississippi

Phone: (904) 565-8386

Alabama (Northern), Georgia, 

South Carolina, Tennessee

Phone: (770) 318-1449

Agricultural Quarantine Inspection 

Veterinary Medical Officer Director 

APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine

U.S. Department of Agriculture

2150 Centre Ave., Building B 

Fort Collins, CO 80526

Phone: (970) 494-7483