Sewage and Waste
Sewage
Untreated
sewage from boats can spread gastroenteritis;
contaminate shell fish beds and use up vital
oxygen in the water. Human waste also
contains phosphorous and nitrogen
which both increase the levels of algae and
reduce water clarity. Chemicals such as
chlorine, formaldehyde, ammonium and zinc
compounds, used to disinfect breakdown and deodorise waste,
are toxic to marine life.
Clubs and training
centres play an especially important role in educating the new
boater as lessons learnt during their first RYA course are likely
to become good habits throughout their boating life.
Discharge of boat
sewage to coastal waters is regulated under MARPOL Annex V and
whilst this only applies to recreational craft carrying 15 or more
passengers, you only need 3 boats with 5 crew in each to produce
the same amount of sewage. So it is certainly worth considering
using your holding tank when out and about.
Sewage discharge
from vessels in rivers, canals and lakes is regulated by many
authorities and byelaws, but it is generally prudent to assume that
discharges are not permitted. The Environment Agency has
overarching powers of regulation.
Coded boats
Since 2006 the Recreational Craft Directive has applied to newly
built vessels and requires provision to be made for a holding tank
to be fitted.
Best Practice
Advice Leaflets &
Resources Marine
Toolkit
Grey Water
Grey water
discharge from sinks, showers and washing machines can be very
damaging to sensitive aquatic life. Most washing detergents contain
phosphates which encourage rapid algal growth. This in itself is
can be a problem, but when the algae die, decomposition uses up
valuable oxygen in the water. This eutrophic effect can cause fish
and other aquatic life to suffocate.
Added to this the
degreasers found in washing up liquids and soaps strip the natural
oils from fish gills making it difficult for them to breathe and
affecting their breeding cycle.
Best Practice
Advice Leaflets &
Resources Marine
Toolkit
Litter
Litter has a major impact on
wildlife, the main problems being entanglement and ingestion. It is
estimated that over 50,000 marine mammals and an unknown number of
birds and turtles die every year from becoming tangled in or eating
marine litter.
Some people think that a certain
level of litter can provide a suitable habitat/artificial reef but
sadly this is far from true. Plastics in particular can persist in
the water for up to 500 years, claiming many lives in the process
and providing an eyesore at the same time. Litter diminishes the
amenity value of an area and the cost to the tourism sector runs
into millions of pounds.
Plastics are the most
prevalent beach litter material. Certain types of plastics are
known to absorb chemicals from the surrounding environment, such as
PCBs and heavy metals at concentrations up to 1 million times
higher than in ocean waters. The ingestion of these toxins can have
life threatening impacts upon marine wildlife.
It can be hard to pinpoint
the exact source of some water based litter. It is believed that
recreational boating contributes very little to the total amount of
marine and inland waterway litter (Marine Conservation Society
Beach Watch Survey 2007). However it is extremely important that we
all do our bit to prevent more litter from entering the marine
environment.
The disposal of waste at sea
is regulated by the International Maritime Organisation under
MARPOL Annex IV and applies to all ships including small
recreational craft. The law states that ships may not dump any
plastic waste over the side. Other waste can only be disposed of
overboard if ground up to a required standard and then only if more
than 3 miles from land. A good rule of thumb for the recreational
sailor is that the sea is not a dumping ground and no rubbish (with
the exception of fresh fish and parts thereof) should be disposed
of overboard.
The onus of the regulations
falls on those who operate shore side facilities to enable vessels
to land waste for disposal and to avoid the dumping of waste at
sea. So it is important that clubs and training centres provide
adequate disposal and recycling facilities.
Best Practice Advice Leaflets & Resources Marine Toolkit
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