Ships Waste

[happy daze john in oz]

All the rubbish bins were removed because Police had found explosive devices in many of them, especially in the mainline stations, this was about 2004/6 and have not been replaced especially after the July 2007 bombings. One of the many penalties we pay for having open borders.

Yes sadly that is the price we have to pay.
Here where I live we have a problem with a number of people in just one part of the municipality, they think the local Salvos is the place to dump rubbish. They are of the opinion it can be used again but at the last count it cost 1.5 million to remove. We get two free tip passes a year but some are just too lazy to use them.

[Red Lead Ted]

Agree Jim. where i live they publish these convictions in the weekly free paper in a sort of 'name and shame' column. The fines for litter dropping are £100 minimum, victim surcharge (whatever that is) plus costs. These offenders are mainly caught by cct cameras rather than wardens on foot, and these cameras are able to find a needle in a haystack. However, the litter does continue, i was walking in the main pedestriainised area yesterday and observed fag ends, food wrappers etc still being discarded, even inches away from litter bins. I'll be scanning the weekly freesheet this evening for my regular portion of Shadenfreude.

John, Again as my good friend and neighbour J Pruden will confirm he read the letter. I was recently warned by Sefton Council that it had been brought to there attention that I was throwing bread out to the birds in the street, The diseases that I could be creating makes ebola look like a sore thumb this was a few neighbours who decided instead of getting a life, To carry on with there sad lives. I telephoned the head of the environmental health dept, and explained that my 8yr old grandson who is aspergers, Comes each morning before school were my wife makes him tea and toast as his parents work and then takes him onto his special needs school, But the young lad has a mania for feeding the birds and has a general love of animals of any kind. That cut no ice but as I explained after he had left for school I would go out into the street and brush up. But while we were on the subject of keeping the street clear of not just a few rounds of toast but discarded chip packs McDonald ETC.... Could we have a street cleaner her reply you have one!!!!!!!!!!!! Strange I said I haven't seen one in the last 6 months, Since my phone call we get this stranger coming down the street with a large pair of bloody pliers picking up what he can the odd ciggy stump or chip nothing more I brushed the full length of my side of the street one day into a pile outside my house as he passed with his little cart I shouted him back are you going to shovel that up. No he replied I never brushed it. And we are not allowed to use the shovel anymore there has been to many back injuries that was it {WAR DECLARED } As John will bare me out he now brushes and shovels the street every Tuesday on a weekly basis, For a young lad aged about 20yrs old I have seen more life in an urgent note. But boy can he use that brush and shovel Terry.

[happy daze john in oz]

Terry if your council came to my house they would havea fit. I feed dozens of birds with bread, bacon rind, fat off meat, wild bird seed mixture etc. I have some wild birds who will eat from my hand.

[Chris Allman]

I would love to feed the birds but neighbour's cats make it far to dangerous for them to feed. I have tried everything, bird table etc but the presence of the cats stops the birds coming near. I am not a cat hater, but they come and mess in your garden, dig up plants and kill and scare the birds away. The owners jut kick them out at night or install cat flaps and let them do what they want, they never ' **** on their own doorstep ' so the owners have no problems with them, its the neighbours who suffer.

[cappy]

I would love to feed the birds but neighbour's cats make it far to dangerous for them to feed. I have tried everything, bird table etc but the presence of the cats stops the birds coming near. I am not a cat hater, but they come and mess in your garden, dig up plants and kill and scare the birds away. The owners jut kick them out at night or install cat flaps and let them do what they want, they never ' **** on their own doorstep ' so the owners have no problems with them, its the neighbours who suffer.

###get an airgun and shoot the blody things

[Jim Brady]

Lots of small birds in my garden I don't know what they are.I put a round of bread on the back wall for them and they were right into it,the next morning it was completely gone.I put another round out for them and watched out of the window,what happened a number of rodents of some description getting stuck into the bread so that's the end of me putting bread out for the birds which is ashame but I don't like rodents of any description even if they are only field mice.
Regards.
jim.B.

[John Arton]

Chris
You can buy, pretty cheaply, cat scarers that emit sound at a frequency we cannot hear but cats can. This scares them way. Another alternative is to put loads of pepper down on the tracks that they use to get into your garden, this will transfer to their paws and when they then lick their paws then violent sneezing will occur, they will soon learn not to come in your garden. This hint was given to me by a person who had the same problem as you and claimed it worked a treat. Believe salt may have the same effect.
rgds
JA

[Chris Allman]

Thanks John, I have seen those scarers advertised, so I might try them and see what happens as the cats are a real pain in the neck. Appreciate what you are saying Jim, not partial to rodents either, met quite a few rats in my time at sea ( four legged variety ) and they were not pleasant at all, especially the grain rats with no fur.

[Chris Allman]

Returning to ships waste, in 2001, I was was fortunate to have been engaged as an officer on the brig Prince William of the STA. I remember being surprised when I was told that nothing at all must to thrown overboard, but stored until we reached port. The sanitary arrangements were micro biological settling tanks which I am sorry to say left a constant smell of poo below decks most of the time. During my early sea time I had been used to flapper valves , gash chutes and deep sixing into Davy Jones Locker which is now totally taboo. I cannot but agree with the new, to me, rules, as I think that far too much rubbish was discharged overboard and must have and possibly still does today, cause an awful lot of ecological damage, which we all must bear some responsibility for, although it was all that existed at that time and was the thing to do. I am glad that conservation is taking place, albeit in some cases halfhearted, but at least something is being done to save the natural beauty and ways of this planet we call home for the enjoyment of our children, our grand children and hopefully their children.

[John Arton]

Chris
As you may well know there are very heavy fines and even detentions for ships that do not fill in their Oil Record, Cargo Record and Garbage Record books correctly and accurately.
Port State and Port Authority Health Inspectors are very adept t spotting fudged records. I have even seen a PSC Inspector look at galley supply invoices, looked at stores remaining on shelves and in fridges and then done a quite accurate calculation of quantities consumed against crew numbers and then looked at the garbage record book to see if totals of food waste etc. landed or incinerated match up.
As seaborne trade is still growing, despite the reduction in crew numbers and the increase in energy performance of engines etc. it still beholds seafarers of any nationality to do their utmost to protect the marine environment. No doubt you will know that many nationalities and flags only pay lip service to these regulations and the only way to get them to comply is to hit them where it hurts most, their pockets, be it ships crews, ship owners/managers or even flag states.
rgds
JA