Beach Plastic. Micro-Plastics vs. Clean Burning

A desert island question, or rather many remote areas, even in the US.

You are on a beach with plastic debris. There is no access to recycling or safe land filling. The alternatives are open burning or ocean dumping, and as a practical matter, it will be left where it is. Do you:

• Throw the plastic on the campfire to prevent micro plastic  pollution.
• Burning the plastic more cleanly in a rocket stove or similar.
• Leave it be.

Further, I have studied beach plastic in my area and read studies world-wide. The main culprit of dioxins when plastic is burned IS PVC, and PVC sinks (it is heavier than water). There is NO PVC in beach plastic, only PET and LDPE, which are just carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They can smoke if burned with poor air mixing, but there is nothing in their chemistry that is more polluting to burn that wood.

Also, drift wood contains elevated levels of chlorine. Seawater. But 20-40 times less than PVC plastic.

Burning is never great, and even less so when the heat is not used for something necessary. Micro plastics are a problem, but how big a problem is far from established. Maybe very small, maybe a long-term time bomb. We don't know.

I've read that this is also a problem in Nepal. A better stove is needed.

• Trekers bring plastic. 
• The locals have no trash disposal methods (they don't have plastic trash--they farm and they keep cattle).
• They need fuel for cooking and heating, and they have little wood. The alternative may be yak dung.
  

I've been doing some experiments with stoves that can burn beach plastics without smoke, far more cleaning than a typical cooking fire. I could cook a meal with plastic and not get any soot on the pot. But I don't know what I think about that.

Waterproof Socks

rev. 7-25-2024

I've been using these for three years and so far, no leaks. Mostly for sailing, but also kayaking and walking in heavy rain.

 I began testing waterproof socks for Practical Sailor over a years ago. My F-24 has an open transom, waves sloshing through are a common thing in a blow, and they are a life saver in the winter.

More recently I went to the beach in a kayak to collect beach plastic (upcoming article), and because of an unusually low tide, found myself wading ashore from as much as 100 yards out. The water was still unpleasantly cool (55F) and I left my wet suit shoes at home.

 

 But I was wearing my waterproof socks (in this case a winter version by Randy Sun). Nice and warm. You can feel that you put your foot in the water, but I wouldn't call it cold. A little squishy, maybe, but dry.

I really like being able to sail all year in deck shoes. No more sea boots for me.

They don't breath as well, so I won't be wearing them in the summer.

New RTCM SOS Beacons

The USCG has approved a new SOS beacon standard that flashes red/orange, cyan, red/orange in the familiar SOS pattern. Learn to recognize it.

 

There is also an older standard where the flash is white-only.

 Although not as bright as a flare, IMO they are more recognizable than a hand-held flare. The USCG wanted to replace flares with something safer. They also last 6-8 hours, which is a huge improvemtn over 4 x 3 minutes.

Note: you also need to create a hanging bridle.  Some are simple, some require a little thought. Do this NOW, before you need it. Hanging under the boom works well.

 

 

 

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After trying to buy flares last years, and being greeted with old stock (only 24 months left), I switched to an electronic beacon. Overtime it will be cheaper, and I believe it is better.

You still need a day signal. VHS and cell phones are still important. Offshore parachute flares are still conspicuous at long range.