josko Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 On a recent remote trip, we were finding plastics washed up on the beach and got into a long discussion about whether it's better to burn a (say) old sneaker on an already-going campfire, or let it sit on the beach. I know packing it out is the best thing to do, but sometimes it's not practical. What's the next-best to do with plastic litter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Josko, I would guess burning is the best alternative when is it not practical to pack it out. I would value any insights from our community. In Alaska we did not discover any trash within the center sections of Prince William Sound. Amazing when you think about it! We did discover some trash as we got closer to Whittier and the end of our journey. At that point we chose to pack it out. I will say at one camp site we discovered inappropriate poop management which required corrective actions. Need I say more? Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfolster Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 You need to be extremely careful if you choose to burn plastic - I would almost say to never do it. Plastics can release toxic fumes when burned, and while doing so outdoors would most likely minimize exposure to those fumes, we all know how camp fire smoke likes to seek us out no mater where we sit. When I work above many commercial ceilings, we need to install special wire that has a plastic that is specially designed to not produce toxic vapors, just in case there should ever be a fire in the building. Even plastic cable zip-ties must be rated the same way. The fumes are dangerous enough that we must adhere to the requirements quite strictly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Martinsen Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Mexican fishermen like to burn everything plastic on the beach, leaves some funky looking "rocks" behind. I'd stay clear of the fumes as already mentioned. Probably best to pack out at the end of a long trip when boats are empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josko Posted August 28, 2014 Author Share Posted August 28, 2014 I suppose it's a matter of degree, but wood smoke releases toxic chemicals as well. Where do we draw the line? Is it a bad idea to have a driftwood campfire on the beach because of toxins in smoke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Allen Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Wood smoke is a major public health issue in many third world countries. Breathing it just isn't good for us. That said, the amount of smoke one is exposed to these days is so much less than someone who lived in a late 19th century city or in a rural village that I would't worry too much about it. Burning plastics releases formaldehyde and other small organics that aren't good for us, but I doubt on milk bottle would do much damage. Like all things, moderation.bestPhil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob budd Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I had this discussion, well essentially the same discussion as the thread has progressed, while in Iceland. He related a story of two planets that passed each other in the cosmos. Planet Earth complained that its inhabitants were making such a mess of things, the other planet calmed Planet Earth by explaining our time would be brief. My response was that anything we can do to reduce pollution is our obligation and just because there are many sources of pollution each day we need to minimize what we produce individually. That said reducing the volume of trash is probably less important that keeping the air clean. I don't see the rationalization that the vapors would disperse and be inhaled in small amounts by who knows who (or what). Maybe it doesn't store itself inside your body like mercury but its still best not to create it in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cath Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Just some info I found:http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/02/1096855/-PSA-Burning-Plastic-Can-Kill-You#http://www.epa.gov/oaqps001/community/details/barrelburn_addl_info.htmlhttp://www.wecf.eu/cms/download/2004-2005/homeburning_plastics.pdfThe Canadian opinion:http://www.gov.pe.ca/environment/burning-plastichttp://www.saskwastereduction.ca/assets/upload/pdf/plastics-pdf/effects-of-buring-plastics.pdfThe plastic washing up on the islands does seem limitless. MITA clean ups are also a good way to help the situation on at least some of the islands in Maine. I am not sure what there may be for organized clean ups in other states. A lot of kayakers try to take at least a few pieces of trash home with them to dispose of properly. On a long trip, this could be done at the last stop. Maybe the kayaking clubs could have a club challenge to take at least one piece of plastic home - big or small - each trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnHuth Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 What MITA does can be quite effective and one can cover a lot of coastline with some organization.It takes 3 components - a 'mothership' that hauls trash to a primary take out place, some skiffs that can put people on a shore easily and then extract them and take garbage to the mothership, and then there are the trash-pickers. In areas like MITA this can be pretty effective. In more remote coastlines, I don't have any great suggestions, except to try to consolidate, bury, and burn what you can. (of course pack out, but this can become daunting) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Foster Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 (edited) To get an idea of just what an impact a single kayaker can have, take a look at this local paddler's blog:http://www.trashpaddler.comHe's collected and disposed of over 4000 items along our rivers and shorelines this year alone. Edited September 8, 2014 by Dan F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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