Page 5 - Abacoa Community News - February '23

Abacoa, Page 5

GoverNMeNt

Northern Notes

Dispose Of Plastic Bags harmful chemicals before being ingested by marine

Properly So They Don’t End organisms. Scientists are still unsure whether consumed
microplastics are harmful to human or animal health – and,
Up In Our Waterways if so, what specific dangers they may pose.
Besides the environmental aspects of plastic, plastic
By Katie Roundtree, bags in particular can cause damage to stormwater drainage
Director of Finance and systems. Plastic bags can clog storm drains and waterways,
Administration, Northern threatening urban environments and creating severe safety
Palm Beach County hazards. Drainage systems blocked by plastic bags have been
Improvement District of this environmental identified as a major cause of flooding in countries like India
Americans use about pollution is from and Bangladesh during monsoon season.
100 billion plastic bags a littering. Still, many More locally, plastic bags can get caught and damage
year. These include plastic of the plastics in aerator motors and stormwater pumps. Aerator maintenance
grocery, shopping, food waterways result costs are higher because of plastic bag debris. Recently an
storage, yard fertilizer and pet from storms, water aerator required repair due to damage from a plastic bag. The
waste disposal bags. Plastic runoff, and winds that bag was drawn into the motor of the aerator and wrapped
bags are so lightweight and carry plastic – both around the spinning shaft, causing the engine to freeze up
aerodynamic that even if we dispose of them properly, they can intact objects and and burn out. It also burnt out the electrical lines and cabling
get misplaced. They escape from our trash cans, garbage trucks microplastics – into our attached to the motor. After all of the repairs were completed,
and landfills and go where the wind takes them – into storm waterways and oceans. including replacing 250 feet of cabling, that one plastic bag
drains, canals, lakes, and eventually, the ocean. The problem with caused over $4,000 in damages to the aerator.
Plastic bags remain toxic even after they break down. They microplastics is that Stormwater pumps must function optimally to provide
don’t biodegrade; they photodegrade. That means that after they do not readily proper drainage following rain events and storms. They are
sunlight breaks them down; they degrade, breaking down break down into critical to many of the stormwater systems in our area. If
into smaller and smaller pieces, until they can ultimately harmless molecules debris gets caught in them, the motors can also burn out and
enter the food chain. These tiny particles of plastic are just like plastic items not work properly when most needed. The pumps used are
called microplastics, officially defined as plastics less than of any size. Plastics submersed in several feet of water. They are not easily able
five millimeters (0.2 inches) in diameter – smaller than the can take hundreds or to be inspected from above the water. When debris caught in
standard pearl used in jewelry. There are two categories of thousands of years the motor is discovered, the damage may already be done.
microplastics: primary and secondary. to decompose – and If you choose to use plastic bags, please dispose of them
Primary microplastics are tiny particles designed for in the meantime, properly and securely. Please do not throw them in the
commercial use, such as cosmetics, or microfibers shed from wreak havoc on the waterways. This request not only pertains to shopping bags,
clothing and other textiles, such as fishing nets. Secondary environment. On beaches, microplastics are visible as but includes fertilizer bags, pet waste disposal bags and food
microplastics are particles that result from the breakdown of tiny multicolored plastic bits in the sand. In the oceans, storage bags. Properly placing them in a secure receptacle
larger plastic items, such as water bottles. This breakdown microplastic pollution is often consumed by marine animals. could help keep our stormwater systems and, ultimately, our
is caused by exposure to environmental factors, mainly the Microplastics have been detected in marine organisms, waterways clear.
sun’s radiation and ocean waves. from plankton to whales, commercial seafood, and drinking NPDES tip: Storms occur all year round. Make sure your
Single-use plastics – plastic items meant to be used just water. Alarmingly, standard water treatment facilities cannot yards and trees are trimmed neatly to avoid flying debris during
once and then discarded, such as a straw or plastic bag – are the remove all traces of microplastics. To further complicate a storm. Dispose of your trimmings and clippings properly.
primary source of secondary plastics in the environment. Some matters, microplastics in the ocean can bind with other Do not put them into storm drains or lakes!

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