The World Can’t Keep Up With Its Garbage | Book Review – the Atlantic
Trash dumping is taking a devastating environmental toll—especially on poorer countries….
‘Extremely disturbing’: High levels of heavy metals at Monterey Bay Estuary – the Los Angeles Times
Days after one of the world’s largest lithium ion battery storage facilities burst into flames in Monterey County, researchers found alarmingly high concentrations of heavy metals at a nearby estuary that is home to several endangered species…
Cigarette Butts Are A Hidden Threat To California’s Horn Sharks – Forbes
Marine debris continues to be a pressing environmental issue worldwide, particularly plastic waste, which often originates from land-based sources and can break down into microplastics. While many types of waste contribute to marine pollution, cigarette butts are the most commonly found form of plastic waste, and they pose unique threats to ocean ecosystems…
Prolonged S.F. shipyard cleanup moves into final phase focused on offshore ‘toxic hot spot’ – the San Francisco Chronicle
An environmental cleanup that, for more than two decades, has sought to cleanse San Francisco’s former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard of its alarming history of radioactive and industrial pollution is on the verge of entering its final phase — underwater….
Using Trash to Track Other Trash – Hakai Magazine
An Australian organization is taking “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” to heart with its ghost net clean-up program….
Can the circular economy help the Caribbean win its war against waste? – Mongabay
For decades, a graveyard of corroding barrels has littered the seafloor just off the coast of Los Angeles. It was out of sight, out of mind — a not-so-secret secret that haunted the marine environment until a team of researchers came across them with an advanced underwater camera…Startling amounts of DDT near the barrels pointed to a little-known history of toxic pollution…but federal regulators recently determined that the manufacturer had not bothered with barrels. (Its acid waste was poured straight into the ocean instead.)…
It’s not just toxic chemicals. Radioactive waste was also dumped off Los Angeles coast – the Los Angeles Times
For decades, a graveyard of corroding barrels has littered the seafloor just off the coast of Los Angeles. It was out of sight, out of mind — a not-so-secret secret that haunted the marine environment until a team of researchers came across them with an advanced underwater camera…Startling amounts of DDT near the barrels pointed to a little-known history of toxic pollution…but federal regulators recently determined that the manufacturer had not bothered with barrels. (Its acid waste was poured straight into the ocean instead.)…
Fire Blanketed Lahaina in Toxic Debris. Where Can They Put It? – the New York Times
Crews are sending thousands of truckloads of debris to a temporary disposal site (in Olowalu)..The coast of Olowalu is popular with snorkelers and filled with abundant sea life. In 2017, the coral reef offshore became a focal point for protection by the nonprofit Mission Blue, which advocates to protect the ocean. The organization said the reef acts as a sort of nursery to enhance reefs on other islands nearby. It also supports a large population of manta rays. “It’s environmentally precious,” said Tom Gruber, an adviser to Mission Blue. “It’s like Yosemite. You wouldn’t put a toxic waste dump upstream of Yosemite…”
‘It gets your stomach churning’: the team wading through nappies to clean up Bali’s waterways – the Guardian
Every week, the Sungai Watch staff don waders and gloves and plunge into the waterways around the Indonesian island of Bali, where they have strung up their big plastic barriers. Along with volunteers, they work their way through the heaps of waste that has built up against the barriers, stuffing it into rubbish bags and slowly, steadily, clearing the filth. The work is gruelling, and yet there is deep satisfaction, even if just temporarily, in watching the rivers open up again. “You do get used to it, strangely enough. But you always need at least a few minutes to adapt as you go into a river….”