Saying a cruise ship is much like a town is actually quite accurate. The regular population of a cruise ship including guests and crew can easily match or even surpass that of a small town. As such, the operation involved in keeping the “town” running is much like that of a place on land. Energy generation, supply stocking and infrastructure upkeep may differ due to the nature of the industry, but recycling is something cruise lines place a major importance on, even more so than towns, since the industry itself relies on, and benefits from, making sure the environmental conditions are kept favorable and affected a little as possible.
Garbage
Trash from every corner of the ship, including guest and crew cabins and public areas is carefully segregated on board in the Incinerator Room. Every type of material is then separated and treated differently depending on the various recycling options. Glass, aluminum and several other materials will be compacted and offloaded in ports that offer the necessary recycling facilities, while many other materials are burned off, like paper and a few types of wood.
Food
Discarded food, whether leftovers from the several food outlets or even from plates people didn’t finish will be separated, mainly from bones, wooden sticks or any other “accessories” it may have. Suitable food will then be cut into pieces whose size are internationally approved to be offloaded when a specific distance from shore is reached. At that time, it will be dropped into the ocean effectively serving as a wonderful source of food to all marine life. So stop feeling guilty when you can’t eat everything on your plate, a friendly fish will.
Water / Human Waste
Water on board is certainly a highly valued asset, and not a cheap one either. Water is separated into “gray” water, from showers and sinks, and “black” water from toilets. Most ships are equipped with the ability to treat water so it can be reused. “Black” water is mostly offloaded in certain ports, much like RV Parks do. Treating and reusing water that has gone through the pipes is STILL easier to achieve than turning the abundant salt water into potable water.
Giving it a second use
As part of the constant renewal of furniture and appliances that keeps the ships looking fresh and modern, tons of such items are often offloaded when it’s time to replace them. Cruise Lines have taken the right steps to give these objects a second chance, by donating them to communities in need. Schools, homes and many charitable organizations benefit from the hundreds of mattresses, chairs, tables, TVs, carpets and even gym equipment. Doing this actually benefits both parties, as properly discarding them would represent an added cost to the Cruise Line.
Should a Behind-The-Scenes tour be available during your cruise, I can’t recommend enough that you sign up. Enquire if the Recycling Area is part of the tour, and you’ll learn a lot more about the fascinating ways a floating town handles its waste. – ThatGuy (onboard)
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