Mobro 4000
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The Mobro 4000 is a barge made famous by the recycling movement in 1987 for hauling the same load of trash along the east coast of North America from New York to Belize and back. Chartered by entrepreneur Lowell Harrelson and Long Island mob boss Salvatore Avellino, it set sail on March 22 from Islip, New York escorted by the tugboat Break of Dawn and carrying 3,168 tons of trash headed for a pilot program in Morehead City, North Carolina to be turned into methane. Before the barge could reach its destination a rumor began that it contained medical waste prompting state officials to rescind Harrelson's permit. The barge then proceeded along the coast looking for another place to offload and continuing to meet stiff resistance. The Mexican navy denied it entrance to their waters. It made it as far south as Belize, again being rejected, before returning to New York. Upon arrival it was met with a temporary restraining order and a heated legal battle preventing it from docking. In October the trash was finally incinerated in Brooklyn and the resulting ash was buried back were it started, in Islip.
Environmentalists often claim this incident is evidence that we are running out of landfill space. Scientists dispute this claim.
External links
- Michigan Law Review (http://www.kozinski.com/~alex/articles/gorewars.pdf)
- Federal Reserve Article on Mobro 4000 (http://www.bos.frb.org/economic/nerr/rr2002/q1/waste.htm)