Our waste minimization program consists of reducing, reusing and recycling.
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Reducing
We work to reduce the volume and toxicity of our waste.
We reduce our waste by:
- bulk purchasing;
- acquiring only what we need when we need it;
- working with suppliers to reduce packaging;
- using alternative products to accomplish the same job; and
- treating waste on board to minimize volume by stacking, shredding, crushing and incinerating.
We reduce the toxicity of our waste by:
- purchasing non-toxic products;
- controlling material purchases with an “approved chemicals list”; and
- replacing older equipment with new equipment, designed for non-toxic products.
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Reusing
We seek new opportunities to reuse materials and equipment on board or find others who can use things that are in good condition that we no longer need. This extends the use of many items. For example:
- Our ships donate tons of usable items, including mattresses and clothing, at ports-of-call around the world.
- We receive certain supplies in plastic and metal drums, which we reuse as waste receptacles, thereby avoiding the need to purchase waste containers.
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Recycling
We strive to recycle as many items as possible. We place recycling collection containers throughout the ship so our guests and crew can segregate the various recycling materials. We offload collected materials for recycling at ports around the world, including plastic, glass, paper, cardboard, aluminum, electronic equipment, toner cartridges, batteries, fluorescent lamps, silver, scrap metal, oily waste and used cooking oil.
