Litter mars the shoreline of this New York harbor. 



By Jeannie Faris and Kathy Hart 



For one day each year, the shores 

 of North Carolina waterways are 

 scoured free of trash by the ton. But it's 

 never long before these sands and banks 

 are littered again. Someone drops a 

 drink can on a lake; street trash washes 

 into a creek through a nearby storm 

 drain; waves redeposit drifting debris on 

 a beach; an abandoned tire sinks into a 

 riverbank. 



North Carolina, in this respect, is 

 like any other part of the world. Marine 

 debris reappears in waters and on shores 

 just as predictably as the next turn of the 

 tide. Cleanups aim to protect humans 



and wildlife from the dangers and dis- 

 comforts of litter. But no amount of 

 cleaning will kick the problem until 

 people understand the full impacts of 

 marine debris — on aesthetics, econom- 

 ics, public health, wildlife and the envi- 

 ronment — and alter their behavior. 



Globally, 221,513 cleanup volun- 

 teers collected 5.2 million pounds of 

 debris last year. Sixty percent was col- 

 lected in the United States. North Caro- 

 linians collected 23 1 tons of litter — 25 

 tons less than 1992 — during Big 

 Sweep's statewide waterway cleanup, 

 signaling that Tar Heels are getting the 

 message and dropping less trash. 



There are, however, people who 

 continue to treat our waters and shores 

 as dumping grounds. A myriad of state, 

 federal and international law has 

 evolved in response. But in North Caro- 

 lina, anti-littering laws are complex and 

 confusing to users and even enforcers. 

 Many fall short of clearly distinguishing 

 authority or supplying adequate re- 

 sources, according to a 1991 N.C. Ma- 

 rine Science Council report on debris. 

 There are important opportunities for 

 new laws in our state, especially those 

 that create incentives for reducing the 

 waste stream and increasing waste re- 

 covery. 



2 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1994 



