Humans produce a lot of garbage, which is bad for the environment and takes up precious space. Throw in extra factors like overpopulation and climate change, and we have a big, messy problem on our hands. Luckily, there are some solutions — grand ideas that are being rolled out, right now, all over the world. Watch the video above to discover four of them. Ghost fishing can compete with active fishing for limited resources, undermining economic opportunities while also decreasing the reproductive capacities of fish and invertebrate stocks.
Immobilization of commercial and recreational vessels can result in increased costs of navigation due to lost time, costly repairs, as well as the loss of human life.
In a tragic example, derelict fishing gear contributed to the sinking of a Korean passenger ferry in that resulted in the deaths of passengers. Humans can also be directly harmed by aquatic trash, becoming entangled in nets and lines while swimming or diving, or being injured by sharp debris that accumulates on beaches.
In most instances they are able to free themselves. In rare instances entanglement has resulted in injury and even death.
Additionally, sharp debris that accumulates on beaches regularly results in puncture wounds and lacerations. Medical waste, such as hypodermic needles, is of particular concern because punctures can result in the transfer of infections and disease.
Due to the human health risk of medical debris, beaches in New York and New Jersey were closed to protect the public from medical waste that washed ashore in Aquatic trash also reduces the aesthetic and recreational values of rivers, beaches and marine resources. The buildup of plastic debris on beaches is of particular concern for coastal cities since unsightly debris and entangled marine life can reduce the area's attractiveness to local residents and tourists.
Immense economic costs are incurred to clean marine debris from beaches. In EPA conducted a study to quantify the cost spent by 90 cities, large and small, in California, Oregon and Washington, located along the coast or in watersheds draining to the ocean, to clean up litter and prevent trash from entering the ocean or waterways leading to it. Nearly 50 million people live in these three states and over 85 percent of them live on the ocean or along rivers draining into it. This public cost burden makes yet another reason for finding effective strategies to reduce the trash entering our waterways and contributing to marine debris.
Skip to main content. Trash-Free Waters. Contact Us. Impacts of Mismanaged Trash. In some countries, informal waste workers have been given formal employment opportunities in waste management.
In the United States, where recycling programs have been operating in full force for years, some experts believe the answer to reducing waste lies in charging for its disposal by weight or other metrics.
Used in more than cities and counties across the country, the program charges residents a set fee in cash for each bag they dispose of at a drop-off location. Happy Earth Day! The Paris climate accord is about to be signed.
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Nations strike climate deal with coal compromise. All Sections. About Us. B2B Publishing. Business Visionaries. Hot Property. Times Events. Times Store.
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