ABSTRACT
Waste is being transported to the marine environment through many pathways, including river discharge, atmospheric deposition or direct discharge/disposal of gas and liquid emissions, solid wastes, radioactivity, thermal energy and noise. This chapter presents the major categories of waste that are reaching the marine environment and highlights the major environmental concerns, as well as the existing relevant policy and management frameworks. Approach to categorizing waste is to distinguish between sources, which is also a way of understanding the major pressures in relation to different pollutions in the framework of the Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact and Response Approach. Major sources of biodegradable organic matter include sewage from urban areas and wastewater generated from industrial and animal breeding activities. Hazardous substances are compounds that are toxic, persistent and liable to bioaccumulation, or give rise to an equivalent level of concern through synergistic effects or degradation into hazardous substances. Persistent organic pollutants are a group of chemicals that are persistent, toxic and bioaccumulative.
