MARINE DEBRIS - Marine Pollution: What Everyone Needs to Know - page 58

debris control. There are also international agreements such
as the London Dumping Convention and the International
Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
(MARPOL). In the United States, the Beaches Environmental
Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH) of 2000 was
designed to reduce the risk of disease to beach-goers and
includes a provision for monitoring and assessment of floatable
materials. The federal government is involved in programs to
reduce marine litter. NOAA's Marine Debris Program partici-
pates in many beach and river cleanups, removals of derelict
fishing gear and abandoned boats, but focused most of its
energies in 2012 on the Japanese tsunami debris monitoring
and cleanup. They also developed a research strategy, stan-
dardized methods for monitoring and assessment of marine
debris on shorelines and surface waters, and participated in
over 100 outreach events, educating nearly 20,000 people about
marine litter issues.
Appropriate management of wastes can prevent items
such as disposable plastic bags from becoming marine debris.
Plastic bags are a major component of litter and are being
banned in some areas. The California Coastal Commission
found that plastic bags comprise 13.5% of shoreline litter; the
City of Los Angeles found that plastic bags make up 25% of the
litter in storm drains. Programs are being developed to recycle
plastic bags. Recycling of plastic film climbed 4% to reach one
billion pounds annually in 2011 for the first time. The category
of plastic film includes plastic bags, product wraps, and com-
mercial shrink film. A report developed by Moore Recycling
Associates noted that the recycling of plastic film has grown
55% since 2005.
San Francisco and some other municipalities passed ordi-
nances that would ban most retail locations from distributing
plastic bags and begin charging customers a dime for each
paper bag (or compostable plastic bag) they use. In Toronto,
as of January 1, 2013, retailers are prohibited from giving cus-
tomers single-use plastic bags, including those advertised