currently a fully viable financial market for the material as the price for recycled fibreglass is too low to promote the industry.
The major current options are landfill, though some nations are now restricting the disposal of FRP materials in landfill space. Whilst financially viable options are currently limited, the market is being developed with crushed FRP material being used in, amongst others, concrete, tarmac and also as filler for other FRP items. The market is well intentioned, though as a cost model appears to have limited application, and importantly is more marginal in SIDS due to a
“The main aim is
to achieve end-of- life management leading to either reuse (re- purposing) or recycling.”
lack of infrastructure to recycle. If this model is used on SIDS it will likely incur significant off-island transport costs for FRP material.
Research and trials are considering options that include pyrolysis where material is burned at temperatures to recover fibres for re-use (though resins are lost in combustion) and solvolysis where chemical replacement releases the resins and fibres for re-use; though these processes are expensive and not fully commercially viable at present, researcher and commercial groups are working towards financial feasibility. With regard to achieving financial sustainability to make end-of-life FRP boat disposal viable, instruments such as a levy on manufactures have been suggested and the option of charging users for end-of-life FRP disposal is potentially being trialled in France.
The environmental effects of current disposal options are discussed. Burning, previously practised on some SIDS, is known to release highly toxic compounds with a range of possible effects on biological organisms. Landfill options are largely related to the amount of space taken up, which in SIDS is a significant issue. FRP chemical breakdown and risk in landfill has been considered, though degradation is viewed as unlikely with FRP material, showing little change over time. At sea disposal is less well understood and whilst deliberate scuttling has been used as an option, FRP boats are often just left to decay on abandoned moorings.
MARPOL makes it illegal to discharge plastic at sea, but FRP hulls are not covered as MARPOL is pertinent to shipborne garbage and the London Convention and London Protocol do not explicitly address FRP vessels.
There is limited research on at sea disposal though it is evident that dumped FRP vessels do not make suitable artificial reefs as
they are likely to break up, and may be moved by currents and wave action potentially harming sensitive features (e.g. reefs, seagrass) and communities. In addition, FRP material will ultimately break up to potentially become microplastics with, as yet, poorly understood ecological pathways and direct biological effects, though its known plastics sorb organic and heavy metal pollutants potentially making them more bioavailable to organisms which may ingest plastics.
The problem of end-of-life FRP boat disposal and management has taken global proportions with an increasing number of vessels needing management. This is particularly pertinent to SIDS with space being a significant issue and disposal at sea having wider implications for the marine community on which people may be dependent and possible pathways to humans for plastics and associated pollutants. Some island nations are actively seeking options including pyrolysis and have halted at sea disposal with ongoing plans for FRP wreck management under the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks 2007 but as outlined, other legal instruments have poor applicability and the Nairobi Convention on wreck removal is targeted at vessels greater than 300 tonnes and to date has only been ratified by 41 states.
Research areas relating to management and disposal of end-of-life FRP hulls are numerous. Though current progress may be limited, further research into sustainable options is being addressed due to increasing interest and financial / policy drivers. The main aim is to achieve end-of-life management leading to either reuse (re-purposing) or recycling. With particular emphasis upon islands, these goals require appropriately targeted attention to avoid growing conflict with natural resources and unregulated disposal of FRP waste with potential environmental consequences.
The Report • December 2020 • Issue 94 | 61
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