Waste Discharge into the Marine Environment: Principles and Guidelines for the Mediterranean Action Plan

The present volume has been prepared in order to assist responsible national authorities in the implementation of this protocol, by providing principles and guidelines for the issuance of permits by national authorities for the discharge of certain types of waste and other matter into the marine environment. The preparation of this volume has been entrusted to the Institute of Sanitary Engineering of the Polytechnic of Milan (Italy), but the contents of the various chapters were developed by a multi-disciplinary team of experts from the Mediterranean States, together with UNEP and WHO staff. The first draft was reviewed by a study group comprised of authors of the individual chapters together with additional specialists in the fields covered by the document. The views expressed should not, however, be construed as representing the official policies of either WHO or UNEP. It is hoped that the material presented will be useful both in relation to the Mediterranean Action Plan and for other programmes relating to marine pollution control. It is intended that it will form the basis for the development of a model code of practice for the management of waste from coastal sources.