Poster abstracts and manuscripts from the Third International ...

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teamwork. Senior management must set the tone. But the men and
women who work on the floor, on the docks, in the warehouses,
driving the trucks and forklifts, making the connections, taking
the samples and packing the bags -- they all must be involved in
finding solutions and improving the way our industry operates.
SPI's commitment to the environment extends beyond resin pellets.
In its 1987 policy statement, our Board of Directors said: "The
SPI supports the responsible use of its industry's materials and
proper disposal of those products when they become waste.
Plastics should not be discarded into the ocean or any other body
of water."
In support of this policy, SPI has:
- Testified before Congress in support of Annex V of the MARPOL
Convention
- Supported financially and otherwise major domestic and
international beach clean-ups (as have a number of member
companies)
- Developed an ongoing public information campaign about the
proper disposal of plastics in cooperation with the Center for
Marine Conservation (CMC) and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Cooperated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in
the research and preparation of the report "Plastic Pellets In
The Aquatic Environment: Sources and Recommendations."
- We also are pleased to be a sponsor of the Third International
Conference on Marine Debris.
Durrum, Emmet
Floating Debris in the Anacostia River
District of Columbia Department of Public Works, Washington,
DC, USA
This poster describes a pilot project undertaken to control
floating debris on the tidal Anacostia River. Besides being
unsightly, floating debris limits spawning areas and habitat for
fish and benthic organisms and disrupts aquatic vegetation that
stabilizes shorelines and wetlands. Floating debris interferes
with recreational boating and fishing. Left unchecked, floating
debris from the Anacostia Basin ultimately reaches and degrades
habitat in the Chesapeake Bay and the open Atlantic.
The abatement project was designed to address debris control
problems intrinsic to the Anacostia River, i.e., strong tidal
influence, relatively low flow rate, many combined sewer outfalls
(CSOs), long turnover time (up to 90 days), and many mudflats and
deltas exposed at low tides.
This paper describes the project, its objectives, methodologies,
and results. The main objectives were to identify the sources,
the type, and the quantity of floating debris; test methods and
equipment for controlling floating debris; document methods and
results for use in other jurisdictions with floating debris
problems in similar urban stream systems;-and use the experience