The Pros And Cons Of Ocean Dumping

umans generate millions of tons of waste which goes to who knows where. In 2013, the United States alone accumulated 254-million tons of trash. (EPA, 2013) Unfortunately, this massive amount of garbage does not just go away. Instead, it goes somewhere else. Many developed countries, such as the European Union, resort to “environmental dumping”. This is when trash from a developed country is literally dumped onto the territory of undeveloped countries, like Africa. Although there are agreements between countries, illegal dumping still occurs. (Syeda et al., 2013)

Green Wiki defines environmental dumping as the transfer of waste from the boundaries of one country to another. Developed Countries often do this to countries which have lesser environmental laws or enforcement. It is a sought out practice because it is a cheaper and easier way to dispose of waste without regulatory constraints within the country. Dangers arise when countries begin to incorporate hazardous waste into trans-frontier shipments of waste.

The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) estimated that there is more than 400

million tons of hazardous waste throughout the entire world. Furthermore, the majority of that waste is produced in industrialized countries. (Fehr & Schmidt, 1999) In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines hazardous waste as waste which is “dangerous or potentially harmful to our health or the environment” and can take on the form of liquid, sold, gas, or sludge. National Geographic goes a step further, defining it as “poisonous byproducts of manufacturing, farming, city septic systems, construction, automotive garages, laboratories, hospitals, and other industries.” Common forms of disposal include one which is centered around discarded commercial products, cleaning fluids, and pesticides, while the other is the by-products of manufacturing processes. (US EPA, 2015)
An example of toxic contamination in a community is the Love Canal incident in New York. There was an industrial site, prior to the settlement of the town, where chemical waste was disposed of for 25-30 years. When it became residential, the site was covered with cement and dirt. Years later, citizens were diagnosed with “very serious heath impairments,” and many children had serious birth deformities. These situations happen frequently around the world. Some cited health affects from chemical exposure (Grisham, 1986) include: Carcinogens, genetic defects (mutations), reproductive abnormalities, alternations of immunobiological homeostasis, central nervous system, and congenital anomalies.
Although the infiltration of toxic chemicals in water systems is an urgent issue, the problem goes beyond the action itself. The real problem is that countries are still participating in ocean dumping despite hundreds of organizations, governments, services, associations, projects that are legally, socially, and morally obligated to protect the environment through international agreements, treaties and policies. (Van Glaughn, *?)
Problem
Why does dumping exist? Who is responsible, and why?
Who is responsible for this environmental disaster? Human activity is the culprit. Do you remember driving to the coast and dumping chemicals into the ocean? Not necessary. City residents, enjoyers of waterways, and everyday consumers play a role in these detrimental activities.
By simple residency in a city which contains a sewage system, you have an indirect effect on ocean dumping.

When sewage is treated, the remainder ends up getting dumped into the ocean. Sewage waste could be used as an alternative to agricultural fertilizer, but most actors in the process prefer to dump waste in the ocean because it is a cheaper means of disposal. Less than thirty-years ago (1990), there was 12-million tons of sewage waste dumped into the ocean in a single year. (MarinoBio,2015) In this instance, those who manage the sewage treatment could choose a safer alternative, but would risk loss of money. The practices of the United Nations implies that they do not think there is an effect eutrophication or human health. Why doesn’t the government have a type of subsidy that would encourage treatment facilities to “recycle” the

sewage?
The most toxic type of wastes are dredged material, industrial waste, sewage sludge, and radioactive waste. (MarineBio, 2015)
Dredged material accounts for 80% of all waste that is dumped into the ocean, about seven-million tons each year. Dredged material is simply materials that have been removed from construction areas to build new waterways. Of the total dredged material, 10% consists of heavy metals (cadmium, mercury, and chromium), hydrocarbons (heavy oils like crude or petroleum), nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) and organochlorides (from pesticides). (MarineBio, 2015)
Industrial waste used to be legally dumped into the ocean before the international agreements London Convention and Protocol and Basel Convention in the 1970’s. However, even after the convention and further agreements, illegal dumping occurs. In the1980’s, eight-millions tons of industrial wast¬¬e was dumped into the ocean. Industrial waste is made up of: acids, alkaline waste, scrap metals, waste from fish processing, flue desulpherization, sludge, and coal