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passenger gatherings, and frequently before the beginning of the evening's entertainment. 

 Separate refuse cans are placed on decks to encourage passengers to participate in the process. 

 We have found that most passengers are not only familiar with recycling, because they do it at 

 home, but they want to participate. A sample request to passengers which can be found on ships 

 is: 



RESPECT FOR THE SEA ENVIRONMENT 



Dear S.S. Cruiseship Guest: 



PLEASE do not throw ANYTHING from the ship into the water AT ANY 



TIME. 



Cruiseship Lines is dedicated to the preservation of the quality of the ocean 



environment. 



Disposal at sea of various forms of shipboard originated wastes is governed by 



international treaties which specify how and where it is permitted, if at all. 



Waste disposal into ports and harbors is largely prohibited by the laws of most 



of the countries we will be visiting. 



Please cooperate by using the ship's receptacles for all waste matter. 



Management of shipboard trash and garbage is a difficult and challenging problem for all 

 commercial and military vessels, and for recreational boats. For centuries seafarers had thrown 

 their garbage "over the side". Waste products in earlier days were from natural materials and 

 mostly biodegradable. But, today's packaging of food products brings all sorts of less 

 environmentally desirable materials onboard a modern cruise ship. Plastic wrappers and 

 containers, heavy duty plastic jugs, aluminum cans, tin cans, glass bottles and jars, and 

 cardboard. In our industry this has resulted in an entirely new consideration in cruise ship 

 management yiz., (a) waste minimization programs to decrease waste from provisions brought 

 onboard the ship; (b) purchasing in bulk to further reduce shipboard waste; (c) utilizing reusable 

 packaging where possible; (d) using washable items and limiting the use of disposable cups, 

 utensils, dishes, and towels; and perhaps most importantly (e) purchasing whenever possible 

 provisions packaged in materials other than disposable plastic sheeting or the familiar six-pack 

 plastic can rings. 



A large cruise ship today carries 2,500 passengers. With an average crew of 800, that means 

 as many as 3,300 people are onboard. Much of the waste generated as a result of carrying this 

 large number of people starts out in the fresh provision store rooms. It cannot be returned to 

 these spaces for sanitation reasons. So a separate space within the ship must be set aside to store 

 the trash and garbage. The volume of waste that must be processed and handled in the context 

 of strict shipboard space limitations presents a major operational problem. 



It is appropriate to ask the cruise industry what steps it is taking to reduce the amounts of 

 potential trash that are brought onboard initially, usually as stores and provisions. We are 

 talking to the packaging industry to urge them to use materials which are easier for us to handle 

 and do not generate waste. We can reduce the amount of disposable plastics used on a cruise 

 ship by using washable heavy duty plastic drink containers instead of lightweight plastic cups, 

 paper instead of styrofoam coffee cups, china instead of plastic plates in the buffet lines, paper 

 instead of plastic laundry bags. All of these plastic items could be incinerated, but paper is 

 more desirable because it will incinerate into a cleaner ash, more likely to result in an acceptable 

 discharge into the ocean. See Appendix "B" for a cruise line policy statement on waste 

 minimization from a current marketing brochure. 



Waste management on a cruise ship is an extremely complex and sensitive issue demanding 

 training, education, and information. Our passengers expect a standard of operation far in 

 excess of MARPOL 73/78. A cruise ship's purpose is to satisfy passengers and to be welcomed 

 in the many beautiful ports of call around the world. Failure to maintain an acceptable level of 

 waste management in the eyes of the passenger or port authorities will severely hurt the 

 economic success of a cruise line. There is accordingly a constant effort to raise the level of 

 awareness on the part of both the crew and passengers including distribution of onboard printed 

 materials, brochures, posters, and mandatory crew training programs and seminars. A summary 

 of action taken by various cruise lines includes the following: 



