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Organization (IMO) and the U.S. Coast Guard have largely put into place a procedure from 

 which we can expect continued progress. ICCL has been in the forefront in working with both 

 of these organizations, particularly with the U.S. Coast Guard, in this regard. 



How can the government help? There are several areas where innovative policies should be 

 considered: 



a. Encourage manufacturers and processors either directly or through various incentives 

 to use environmentally acceptable packaging materials; 



b. Aggressively encourage the use of recycled material - the larger the market for 

 recycled material the greater the incentive will be to conserve the discarded material; 



c. Assure that the appropriate regulatory agencies continue to enforce on the total 

 marine community clear and concise regulatory prohibitions in a fair and even 

 handed manner; 



d. Encourage countries who have not done so, particularly those in the Wider 

 Caribbean area, to become a "Contracting Party" to Annex V; and 



e. Assist the Wider Caribbean in becoming a Special Area under the MARPOL 73/78 

 Convention which will require adequate port reception facilities in place by all 

 countries in the region. 



In summary, in a rapidly growing industry like ours, there is always more that can be done. 

 Examples of the kinds of programs and activities undertaken by our industry include: 



1. Intensive education and training programs for onboard employees regarding the 

 proper handling of garbage. Employee training is taken seriously. This training is 

 an urgent requirement and is recognized as such. When new crew members are 

 hired instruction and refresher follow-up classes are held to teach employees the 

 strict details of waste disposal policies and precise operating procedures that must 

 be followed onboard ship. Additional training is provided periodically thereafter. 



2. Clear and concise policies are communicated to all employees regarding the proper 

 disposal of garbage. Regulations are posted giving employees detailed information 

 on proper disposal of waste. Information from the Center for Marine Conservation 

 is circulated. Passengers, too, are made aware of the ships' environmental policies. 

 The concern does not stop at the company board room but is stressed throughout the 

 organization and at all levels of management. 



3. Companies are employing trained and experienced environme ntal professionals to 

 develop programs and assist in implementing policies that are technically, practically, 

 and legally responsible to the marine environment. 



4. Onboard, a management level employee, generally the person in charge of food 

 service management, is given the important responsibility of managing the waste 

 processing operation . That person, in turn, coordinates activities with a superior 

 officer. Frequently two or three crew members will be assigned, round the clock, 

 to the incinerator and processing rooms to process incoming wastes. Further, 

 assigned employees on each deck have the responsibility to separate garbage into 

 assigned categories, using approved containers, and transport the garbage to the 

 processing room to dump or sort. Detailed and precise written instructions outlining 

 specific duties to identified employees are used to formulate work responsibilities and 

 accountability for proper performance. 



5. Strict disciplinary measures have been taken against employees violating company 

 environmental policies. Disciplinary action for infractions of company 

 environmental policies range from warnings to suspension to employee dismissal. 



1 In the Wider Caribbean countries that have not adopted Annex V are: Barbados, Belize, 

 Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, 

 Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and 

 Venezuela. 4 



