Smart Handling of Marine Debris

February 7, 2013 by NOAA Marine Debris Program | 3 Comments

 

By: Nir Barnea, Washington and Oregon Marine Debris Regional Coordinator

Marine debris, the perennial, insidious, problem that affects oceans and coasts worldwide, has been impacting US beaches for many years. After the massive tsunami struck the north eastern coast of Japan on March 11, 2011, inflicting tragic loss of human life and massive damage, a variety of items washed out to sea as the water receded. Some debris remained floating, drifting long distances by ocean currents and winds. This influx of marine debris, adding to an already existing problem, has attracted media attention as well as volunteers, who selflessly dedicate their time and energy to clean the beaches they love, picking up and recycling or disposing of plastic bottles and Styrofoam, fishing lines and floats, packaging of all sort, and other type of debris. Their work is both welcome and appreciated. It is thanks to the thousands of volunteers that marine debris along the US coastline is removed.

But, how can you tell what debris is safe to clean up? Among the thousands of debris items that wash ashore everyday, some can be hazardous.

An obvious example is large oil drums. They can contain flammable or toxic material, should be left alone, not handled or removed, and reported to proper authorities right away.  However, less obvious items, such as plastic boxes or bags with unusual symbols should be handled similarly. Medical waste, for instance, can come in small boxes or packages– a fine looking glass jar may contain toxic material– and explosive devices may come in different shape and packaging. Often (but not always) hazardous materials are labeled.

Watch out for these specific hazard symbols and labels: 

• Look for the hazard symbols and labels, and don’t touch any item that displays these or similar labels.
• Don’t pick up or handle any item that you are not sure about.
• Don’t open bottles, jars, and boxes that could contain hazardous material.
• Mark the location, warn others, take photos, and call proper authorities, providing exact location description and photos.

The bottom line– Do your part and clean up the beach from marine debris, but be smart and aware of hazardous debris. No debris is worth getting hurt over.

For more information about handling debris, check out our website: http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/tsunamidebris/debris_handling.html