[Coral-List] Help for the Andaman Islands: How to deal with rubbish on remote islands?

[Nicola Jaeger]

Hello to all coral listers,

I have been following discussions and topics on the list with great interest and agree that it is important to push for a fundamental debate on climate change, its impact on marine life as well as the role we are all playing in all of it. If we individually manage to to aim for 50%, a lot can be gained: Meaning 50% less flights, 50% less meat and dairy, 50% more public transport, walk and bicycle instead of car, 50% longer use of our electronic articles, 50% less stuff (cloths and other consumer good) and so on. But the main adjustments have to be done by politicl decisions and regulations or incentives from city planning to energy production and essentially circular economy. The more lobby groups push for fundamental and effective climate policies the better, so hopefully the diving community is coming on board slowly but surely.

However, I am writing to you today on behalve of an Indian friend. Khan from Blue Planet Andamans in India asked for help. They are drowning in rubbish (not just their own, also washed ashore) and don't know what to do with the different materials collected. "The strategy at the time we lived there was to burn their own rubbish on a open heap next to the resort. Glass and plastic bottles had been used as building materials. But they were piling up already back then. [...] We burnt everything quite efficiently in between big rocks on the beach, but were wondering about the ashes staying behind." (from blog post on our website: Keep your plastic and clean up the rest<http://devocean-pictures.com/keep-your-plastic-and-clean-up-the-rest/>).

Burning is toxic, but seemed as the best solution at the time. Do you agree? If so, what is the best system and what to do with the highly toxic ashes afterwards?

If there is anybody on this list with experience regarding easy to make or low-investment solutions for remote islands on a small scale-level, islands with no access to recycling facilities, please get back to me. Any ideas, building pllans, alternative solutions or links to other operators, projects and initiatves for best practise are highly welcome. There is a movement forming on the Andamanscalled Mission #andamancleanup<https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/andamancleanup?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG>. We will feed all information back to Bue Planet as well as other parties involved in this general clean-up.

Thank you very much for your time and help - even if it's the same old topic of waste treatment that the general public for sure is already better informed on and more supportive of than climate change.

Sunny regards from Bali,
Nicki

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Nicola Jaeger
Danziger Str. 29a
59174 Kamen
GERMANY

Write: nicola.jaeger at hotmail.de or nicki at devocean-pictures.com
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