EPM student presents on the importance of proper marine flare management at the Used Oil Conference
I had the honor of presenting at the 2023 Statewide Used Oil Recycling and Household Hazardous Waste Training and Symposium in February alongside Dr, Joanne Brasch. My presentation was on safe marine flare management and disposal in California. I have been working with the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC) - a non-profit with a mission to shift California’s material economy from a linear model to a circular economy - to develop their marine flare campaign as part of my practicum.
Why care about marine flares?
Marine flares are visual distress signals used to call for help on boats in the event of danger. The U.S. Coast Guard requires boats operating on certain water to carry 3 visual distress signals approved for both day and night use, or three for day use and three for night use, at all times. These marine flares must not be expired and stowed accessibly. The most common marine flares are single-use pyrotechnic marine flares. These single-use flares expire about every 42 months, meaning boaters have to replace them about every three boating seasons. CalRecycle estimates that there are approximately 174,000 expired marine flares generated each year in California alone. But pyrotechnic marine flares are considered explosive hazardous waste and require special disposal, which means boaters cannot simply dispose of them in their regular trash can. However, California currently lacks ongoing collection opportunities, leading many to be improperly disposed of which causes threats to human and environmental health due to the leaching of chemicals and fire risks. Pyrotechnic marine flares contain a multitude of toxic chemicals, including perchlorate, that can pollute our drinking water supply and damage our environment when we improperly dispose of them. A study found that just one improperly disposed marine flare can contaminate up to 240,000 gallons of our precious groundwater.
What is the Solution?
The California Product Stewardship Council has been partnering with CalRecycle, the California State Parks and Coastal Commission's California Boating Clean and Green Program, and local jurisdictions to host collection events to provide free and proper disposal options for boaters. Part of these events is to promote the new U.S. Coast Guard-approved electronic visual distress signal device (eVDSD) that has entered the market and created a reusable alternative to marine flares. These eVDSDs are battery-operated, never expire, are safer to operate than single-use flares, safer to operate than pyrotechnic flares, and do not contain hazardous materials. However, these events are only a short-term solution. These events are grant funded, meaning they are temporary. In addition, the cost of disposal is extremely costly, as the cost to dispose of just one single-use marine flare ranges from $7 to $50. For long-term change, the implementation of policy that promotes extended producer responsibility to fund programs for continuing education and support for reusable eVDSDs is essential.
Next Steps
The presentation allowed me to garner insight into how local jurisdictions across California are currently tackling the issues of marine flares and what they believe are the next steps to create a permanent solution. I received great feedback from the attendees of the presentation and hope to continue to expand this campaign after the completion of my practicum.
Yalin Li graduated from the University of Oregon (U of O) in June of 2021 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and is currently a master’s student at the University of California Davis in the Environmental Policy and Management program. At the U of O, Yalin worked as a research assistant in Dr. Kelly Sutherland’s lab on marine biology and environmental exposures. A previous internship with the Oregon Sea Grant sparked an interest in water pollution prevention to protect sea life. Yalin joins the California Product Stewardship Council as an Associate working on a variety of projects, such as CalRecycle Hazardous Waste projects for marine flare collection and education, and policy advocacy for extended producer responsibility and product stewardship.