What impacts do floatable wash-ups have?
Floatable wash-ups have an obvious aesthetic impact in addition to potentially causing the closure of bathing beaches due to safety and health concerns. During the wash-ups of 1987-88, many miles of beaches along Long Island and New Jersey were closed to bathing, costing the regional tourist economies many millions of dollars in lost revenues. Debris such as pilings and wooden timbers from bulkheads can also present a significant hazard to navigation, and plastic items are hazardous to marine life.
