Say Yes to Better Sewage Systems

Which of the following do you think would add to the problem of the "trash vortex"?
a) leaving your garbage on the beach
b) throwing bottles in the water
c) leaving your plastic bag on the street
d) all of the above

If you guessed d) all of the above, you are right. The first option contributes to the problem, quite obviously, because the wind carries the garbage into the ocean, and the circular ocean currents bring it to the center of the ocean's gyres, located in the middle of the oceans. Not surprisingly, simply throwing bottles into the water also add to the trash trapped in the gyres. Although merely leaving your plastic bag on the street may come as a surprise to you. How could garbage from the street end up in the oceans? It's actually quite simple. The garbage gets swept away in the sewers, end up in the rivers, and eventually, move into the ocean. This is especially problematic when the sewage systems are old-fashioned and lack filters to prevent plastic or other substances from entering. Although some sewers have catchbasins, which trap large objects and drain the water, it doesn't prevent the flow of hydrogen gases like hydrogen sulphide and methane from entering. Hydrogen sulphide gas is toxic, and excess amounts can be fatal to organisms.

When oxygen levels lower, this permits some marine bacteria to produce hydrogen sulphide gas, which causes the levels of the gas to rise. Oxygen is an important component because it oxidizes the toxic hydrogen sulphide, and changes it to a non-toxic form of sulphur. The oxygen levels are lowered because of global warming, which causes the ocean to warm up, slowing or even stopping ocean currents. This is significant because the circulation keeps the oxygen levels up.

Now what does garbage have to do with all this? The garbage in the ocean can pollute the ocean and harm organisms like phytoplankton. Since oxygen is so important, some oxygen-producers like phytoplankton are also essential. The dispulsion of garbage into the ocean affects these marine organisms. Phytoplankton produce oxygen, carbon dioxide, and regulate temperature of the ocean. No doubt, just by doing these things alone, they are very important. Although they are very sensitive to their surroundings, fluctuation in temperature and salinity can affect its ability to carry out its job, as well as pollutants (hence, the problem with garbage in the ocean). This supports the observation that if the garbage is dumped into the oceans, it can have a large impact on marine life. The garbage in the ocean can be ingested by these marine organisms like phytoplankton, and impair its very important function of producing oxygen. The low levels of oxygen would cause certain marine bacteria to produce hydrogen sulphide gas, and high levels of this gas could be lethal to the organisms. Not only does it affect marine life, but if this gas leaks into the atomsphere, its toxicity can affect humans as well.

So how do we fix it?
The problem of hydrogen sulphide gas entering the sewers can be solved by sewer mechanisms known as "gulley-pots," which are popular in the UK, and serve to block gases like hydrogen sulphide and methane from entering the rivers and oceans.

Sewage systems that don't have proper filtration systems can cause eutrophication. This happens when there is an increase of chemical substances, harming organisms like phytoplankton, and therefore reducing the amount of oxygen produced. This oxygen is much needed by marine life to survive. Eutrophication also disrupts and decays plant growth.