gram have worked to establish funding, 

 cooperative agreements and regional 

 programs and initiatives aimed at pro- 

 viding cost-effective methods for han- 

 dling vessel debris. 



In many cases, individual vessel 

 operators choose to ignore the restric- 

 tions of the international treaty, claiming 

 they don't have adequate equipment, 

 space or personnel to hold or dispose of 

 their wastes properly. Others claim ig- 

 norance. Positively, however, many 

 collectively owned vessels, such as 

 cruise liners and shipping vessels, are 

 being forced by company policy to ad- 

 here to MARPOL Annex V. In some 

 cases, these companies are financing 

 new technology to handle shipboard 

 wastes. 



Despite the feel-good reward of 

 doing the right thing, there are few in- 

 centives for vessel compliance and vir- 

 tually no repercussions for noncompli- 

 ance. Enforcement responsibility rests 

 with the ratifying country, and in virtu- 

 ally all countries this enforcement is 

 cursory. 



Worldwide, coastal cities 

 are a major land-based 

 source of ocean litter. 

 Urban debris washes off city streets, 

 overflows from waste treatment 

 plants during heavy rains 

 and drains from industries. 

 The debris varies from 

 the cigarette filter tossed 

 on the sidewalk to the 

 plastic tampon applicator 

 improperly flushed down 

 the bathroom toilet 

 to resin pellets used 

 in the manufacture of plastic. 



If little is done to enforce waste 

 restrictions, then survey methods must 

 be developed to link the debris that 

 washes ashore with its source. In the 

 case of debris items such as foam cups 

 and beverage cans, the sources are ubiq- 

 uitous. But other items can be tenta- 

 tively linked to their sources. 



Salt bags, bait boxes, fish baskets 

 and net floats are associated with com- 

 mercial fishing. Small containers of 

 toiletries, shoe polish and plastic cups 

 are indicative of cruise line garbage. 

 Hard hats and plastic write protection 

 rings used in seismic testing are char- 

 acteristic of the offshore petroleum 

 industry. And other debris — wooden 

 pallets, plastic sheeting and galley 

 wastes such as vegetable sacks and 

 egg cartons — are used by many 

 oceangoing vessels and typically cat- 

 egorized as ship debris. 



But making these linkages re- 

 quires more than speculation. Sound 

 data are needed from beach surveys, 

 observer programs and surveillance 

 efforts to directly connect debris to its 

 source. Only then can resource manag- 

 ers begin the effort to educate and 

 regulate specific segments of the mari- 

 time industry. 



Urban Sources 



Urban means city, city means 

 people, and people mean trash. Add an 

 adjacent ocean to the equation, and trash 

 means marine debris. 



Worldwide, coastal cities are a 

 major land-based source of ocean litter. 

 Urban debris washes off city streets, 

 overflows from waste treatment plants 

 during heavy rains and drains from in- 

 dustries. The debris varies from the 

 cigarette filter tossed on the sidewalk to 

 the plastic tampon applicator improperly 

 flushed down the bathroom toilet to 

 resin pellets used in the manufacture of 

 plastic. 



Unfortunately, despite the techno- 

 logical and educational efforts of gov- 

 ernments, many of these debris items 

 ultimately drain into coastal waters 

 where they form floating webs of wastes 

 or wash ashore to mar beaches. 



Continued 



COASTWATCH I 1 



