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Paradise lost on Maldives' rubbish island http://apocadocs.com/s.pl?1231002897
It may be known as a tropical paradise, an archipelago of 1,200 coral islands in the Indian Ocean. But the traditional image of the Maldives hides a dirty secret: the world's biggest rubbish island.
A few miles and a short boat ride from the Maldivian capital, Malé, Thilafushi began life as a reclamation project in 1992. The artificial island was built to solve Malé's refuse problem. But today, with more than 10,000 tourists a week in the Maldives adding their waste, the rubbish island now covers 50 hectares (124 acres).... Environmentalists say that more than 330 tonnes of rubbish is brought to Thilafushi a day. Most of it comes from Malé, which is one of the world's most densely populated towns: 100,000 people cram into 2 square kilometres.
Brought on ships, the rubbish is taken onshore and sifted by hand. Some of the waste is incinerated but most is buried in landfill sites. There is, say environmental campaigners, also an alarming rise in batteries and electronic waste being dumped in Thilafushi's lagoon.
"We are seeing used batteries, asbestos, lead and other potentially hazardous waste mixed with the municipal solid wastes being put into the water...."
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[Read more stories about:
toxic buildup, stupid humans, electronic waste, heavy metals]
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New!:
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Your Quips:
Will says: "Where else will we put our crap?"
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'Doc Michael says:
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Actually, the continent of plastic in the Pacific likely holds that dubious prize.
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See our Docwatch on the Plastic Gyre in the Pacific, sometimes described as "twice the size of the continental United States..."
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