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Inorganic and Organic Pollutants in Baltic Sea Region and Feasible Circular Economy Perspectives for Waste Management: A Review

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Handbook of Solid Waste Management

Abstract

The Baltic Sea is the world’s longest inland brackish, nontidal, relatively shallow, and semi-enclosed sea. The drainage area of the Baltic Sea is densely populated, heavily industrialized, and intensively farmed. Pollution in the Baltic Sea due to anthropogenic activities such as sediment dredging, discharge from municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants, waste landfills and warehouses for hazardous substances, and accidental oil spills is a pervasive problem of concern. Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) was established about four decades ago to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution through intergovernmental cooperation. The Baltic Sea experiences pollution due to eutrophication (nitrogen and phosphorus), metals (such as lead, cadmium, and mercury), and organic pollutants (such as organochlorine pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). These pollutants deteriorate the water quality, affect the aquatic life, and may inculcate into the human food chain. Beach wracks accumulated at the Baltic Sea shores are an ecological asset which is also utilized for the production of biochar and biogas, compost, etc. The consideration of beach wracks as an ecological asset or a nuisance is ambiguous. This study recommends strict enforcement of existing mitigation strategies and the formulation of new policies to effectively control pollution in the Baltic Sea.

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Rana, V., Milke, J., Gałczyńska, M. (2021). Inorganic and Organic Pollutants in Baltic Sea Region and Feasible Circular Economy Perspectives for Waste Management: A Review. In: Baskar, C., Ramakrishna, S., Baskar, S., Sharma, R., Chinnappan, A., Sehrawat, R. (eds) Handbook of Solid Waste Management. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7525-9_80-1

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