Overview
Ocean dumping has recently become a demanding issue however its roots date back into the early 1900’s when the ocean was used as a disposal for any and all trash, industrial parts and even radioactive materials. In the past, countries around the world had used the ocean for waste disposal, including the disposal of chemical and radioactive waste, industrial waste, plastic trash, sewage sludge, and contaminated dredged material. At the time, no attention was payed to the negative effects this would have on the marine environment. Even less attention was given to opportunities to recycle these materials for a chance to reuse them. The main reason for why communities dumped so much waste into the world's oceans was because they thought the ocean had an unlimited amount of clean water to mix with the “small” amounts of waste they put in it.
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The Marine Protection, Research, and sanctuaries act of 1972 aka the ocean dumping act has “two basic aims: to regulate intentional ocean disposal of materials, and to authorize related research." There have also been regulations on garbage disposal for ships. Previously ships were allowed to dispose of almost everything into the water, however, in recent years the law has continued to become more and more strict. In 2013 the International Maritime organization imposed a regulation that almost all solid waste is banned from being thrown overboard into the sea. “ship suppliers and vendors need to rethink their packaging, with a mind to minimizing the amount of leftover trash.” Although regulations on ocean dumping are becoming very strict there is still the need for stronger enforcement of these laws and increased participation of anti-ocean dumping across the globe.
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