Waste Not, Want Not

Rhode Island boaters looking to flush their toilets, waste will have to hold it a while. On Monday, Rhode Island became the first flush-free coastal state by banning the emptying of boat toilets into its ocean waters. Boaters now face a fine of up to $2,000 for flushing a toilet while in Narragansett Bay or waters up to three miles off the coast. “This sends the message that we don’t use our waters as a toilet,” said John Torgan, spokesman for the environmental group Save the Bay. The ban’s opponents say the state should be more worried about overflows from sewage treatment plants than the relatively small amounts of waste from boats.