Ships Waste

[John Arton]

Whilst struggling to open a new plastic garbage bag the other day it struck me how much we depend upon plastic these days, not only for packaging but also to contain our waste garbage in.
This got me thinking about ships waste prior to the MARPOL Conventions of 74
Galley Waste---straight over the side as it was food that fed the fishes/seagulls, not eaten would bio-degrade
Cabin Waste----paper {a product made from Natures trees}, cigarette ends etc.-----although not very nice to see, these will eventually bio-degrade
Human waste--surely this must bio-degrade, we all drink milk from cows that eat grass that has been fertilized by spreading cow manure on the fields, not nice to see "jobbies" floating in the water though, I agree. Human waste can even be re-cycled and water from that waste can be safely drunk. An uncle of mine worked for a company that designed and made sewage farms. The salesman had a working model in a suitcase which he used to demonstrate the working with to prospective clients. He would place a sample of poo in the model, switch it on, let it do its work and the end result would be a small cup of water, which he would then drink to show how safe the system was. Believe a number of major U.K. cities used to and possibly still do, use water from sewage treatment farms as part of the domestic water supply.
Packaging- prior to plastic and still in many cases was paper and cardboard. Again these come from natures trees and must bio-degrade.
Cargo waste----crude oil sludge and washing used to be just washed directly into the sea. Crude Oil is one of natures natural resources and eventually evaporates or breaks down. Although nasty and smelly nature rapidly recovers. Within a few years of the biggest oil spill in history {Amoco Cadiz) the wildlife and Oyster beds of Brittany had fully recovered and were actually yielding greater crops than previously. The only element of crude oil that does not degrade over time is the Asphalt content, which in cold climates will naturally thicken and harden. The sticky mass of Asphalt recovered after the Amoco Cadiz is apparently still lying on the surface of a flooded quarry in Brittany. Other cargo waste, grain, ores, coals etc. came from the earth so tossing them back into the ocean surely can do no harm, yet recent Marpol conventions are moving towards banning this practise in certain areas.
Ballast Water---- we used to happily discharge ballast water taken on in say N. Europe into the dock/ocean anywhere around the world. This is now banned unless the ballast water has been treated to remove pathogens etc.
Then along comes plastic, man made from the petro chemical industry and almost indestructible by natural methods. Incinerating plastic has to be done under controlled conditions as burning plastic releases toxic fumes. Most plastic is buried in land fill. Sea trade is vital to the world and in the main has become much "cleaner" these days with exhaust gas emissions being reduced, many companies insisting that their suppliers reduce the amount of plastic packaging when delivering ships stores, yet in our homes we are still generating large amounts of waste plastic packaging that we are passing onto our future generations to find ways of dealing with.
Just my Tuesday morning ruminations on last nights garbage disposal task.
rgds
JA

[happy daze john in oz]

John, I like your thinking. I can recall my time at sea and yes in the galley a gash chute into which went all the galley waste and over the side. Late at night garbage bags filled with all manner of waste would also go overboard. I guess we never thought about it then and when I think of all the silver and china over the wall it makes me think there muat be enough of it down there to re build the great wall. How times change, now the only thing allowed over the side is food waste but first it must go through a grinder so no lumps, just a slushy mess.

[j.sabourn]

There is more natural emissions from the sea bed than any of the man made disasters. I have a member of the family who has a PHd. did it and worked for BP shoreside. Said anyone who came up with the answer to breaking down plastic would earn a fortune. Dont know if anyone has discovered a method of disposing of yet or not. JS

[cappy]

can recall an emmisionfron the sea down south pacific......a circle in the water about a mile in diameter steam coming up and water ruffled ....we changed course quite severely to miss the area .....it was mooted as underwater lava coming to the suface ......strong smell of sulphur ......maybe others have come across this......regards cappy

[John Arton]

The UN recently held a conference on mans impact on global warming and stated that unless by 2050 we make massive reductions in our carbon emissions we are all doomed, doomed I say Capt. Mainwaring!
The amount of CO in the atmosphere has increased dramatically over the past few generations, all down to mans obsession with carbon fuel according to experts at the UN. Yet these same experts take no account of the massive amounts of carbon gases released by the volcanic eruptions in Iceland and other places around the world, which are said to have put in to the atmosphere more Carbon gases than that of the human race since we started burning fossi fuel.
rgds
JA

[John Pruden]

I often go to Crosby beach and see sea birds with plastic around their necks dead there has been a few seals and dolphin floated up the same way it is a shame a penny worth of plastic just discarded costing the life of some beautiful sea creatures? jp

[happy daze john in oz]

We had a visit here last year with the top British scientist involved in global climates. He was interviewed on SBS and asked what did he think of the global warming and climate change scenario?
His reply was quite simple and he said, if you want to know the truth then you must first take the politics out of the question.
He also went on to talk about the effects fo Co2 and where most of it comes from. Apart from the volcanic eruption, the one in Iceland the other year put more crap into the atmosphere than man could take out in 100 years, since the time of the Industrial revolution the population of the globve had increased at an alarming rate.
In 1750 the estimate number on the planet was around one billion. Now we have close to eight with a similar increase in the amount of life stock. All mamals produce Co2 so between us we do chuck it out.

[Chris Allman]

Its also public attitude John with regard to litter. Nobody to tell anyone off, especially the kids. The kids see the adults doing it so think its alright. The adults have no sense of responsibility for the world or their surroundings, somebody else will pick it up or clear it up attitude. Heard one idiot say when it was pointed out to him that he had just chucked his MacDonalds carton on the beach, " well it keeps the council cleaners in a job ". With attitudes like that, there is no chance of any improvement, especially as the councils are getting rid of cleaners.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Its also public attitude John with regard to litter. Nobody to tell anyone off, especially the kids. .

Woe betide you if you dare utter a comment, utter it to the parent, your likely to get a mouthful of abuse or even physical assault just to show the kids 'that nobody tells your dad/mam what to do' if you speak directly to the kids you'll receive verbal abuse or again physical abuse from the father/mother just to show the kids 'that your dad/mother is here to protect you'. Unfortunately we live in a changing world and regretfully it seems to be a downward path. I think the Las Vegas police authorities have the right idea, insult/abuse verbally or physically you end up with a fine and a 'possible' imprisonment, if the victim is 65 years old or older you 'will' end up with a fine and you 'will' end up with a spell in prison, it's mandatory in local statute.

[John Pruden]

ivan are we a dying breed that's cares what goes on around us in our younger years did you ever see a tramp{not ship type} you might have seen the odd one now they are on every street corner in the cities begging for drug money our money for booze they have never actually earned a penny through working in their pathetic lives its come to easy for them they were not put to work at 14/15 for a job? they beg of the government and get it!!!! jp