Do you love NY? Nonprofits to turn New York beach trash into tote bags with the popular logo

Southeast Asia is an epicenter for the global ocean plastics pollution problem, but the material enters the water in areas around the world.

So environmental group Parley for the Oceans is teaming up with the Foundation for New York's Strongest Inc. to help address the problem in the Big Apple.

Members of both groups will start collecting litter on beaches and in the water around the city this summer, and some of the plastics will be used to make a special edition of Parley's reusable Ocean Bags.

The first edition of the bag will feature the famous "I Love NY" logo and are scheduled to be available in March 2020. That's when New York State's single-use plastic bag ban begins.

Police are known as "New York's Finest." Firefighters are called "New York's Bravest," and Department of Sanitation workers are known as "New York's Strongest."

The Foundation for New York's Strongest is a non-profit group for the sanitation department that promotes sustainability and advances sanitation services.

The city's sanitation department collects an average of 1,700 tons of plastic bags each week. That costs an estimated $12.5 million for collection and disposal each year, according to an announcement about the new partnership.

"While it's best to use reusable first, through our work with Parley, we hope to not only help clean up the city's waterways, but turn litter that was clogging up our beaches into a 'forever item' that's reusable, useful and helps keep additional single-use bags from the waste stream," said Julie Raskin, foundation executive director, in a statement.

Parley has gained attention in recent years for its work with Adidas to create athletic shoes using recycled ocean plastic.