Optimal waste management

The Zero Discharge Policy applies on all AIDA ships. This means that no untreated waste water or solid waste is discharged overboard. We process waste water in the Sphinx series’ membrane biological reactor plants until it approaches drinking water quality. In 2011, we began a project in collaboration with the Testing Institute for Waste Water Technology in Aachen. Its aim is to further improve the quality of our treatment systems. As part of the project, technical possibilities for optimizing the treatment performance were evaluated. In 2012, we will use our pilot system with the aim of achieving the new HELCOM threshold values for nitrogen and phosphorus, long before this is required by law. Each of our ships already has two de-oiling facilities. Within these, separators are used to isolate condensation water, known as bilge water, from any oil residue. Furthermore, we check the oil content of the waste water using a sensor system, known as the White Box. If the internationally applicable threshold value of 15ppm (parts per million) is exceeded, the White Box issues an immediate warning – and the release of bilge water is suspended. The oily sludge filtered out is disposed of ashore via licensed disposal companies audited by us. The following table provides an overview of the various types of waste water and their levels for 2011.

Gray water means waste water containing a low level of contaminants. It can be generated from showers and wash hand basins, for instance. Used water from toilets is called black water. Bilge water is condensation which has accumulated from the engine room and which gathers in what is known as the bilge, the lowest compartment in a ship.

Our guests are using less and less water – quite automatically. That’s because we have moved over to water-saving appliances such as special shower heads, flow regulators on wash hand basins and showers, and timer and infrared switches in washroom areas. Furthermore, a vacuum system is used to operate toilet flushing. This particularly water-effective system means that only one liter of water is used per flush. We have also installed a vacuum food waste system on our new ships. This uses considerably less water than conventional food waste disposal systems. Instead of the waste being pumped through pipes with water, we transport it to the waste storage tank using a vacuum system. These and other measures allowed us to cut our water consumption by another 2.8 % per guest and per day in 2011. That represents one of the lowest fresh water consumption rates in the entire cruise industry.

Not all waste is created equal. Before handing our waste over to shoreside licensed waste management companies, we separate and compact it on board. The initial sorting takes place in what we call the Garbage Room. Metal, paper and plastic are compacted and glass is broken down. A similar procedure is followed for food waste. Firstly, it is compacted and dehydrated. The result is a biologically degradable substance that is then disposed of ashore. Oily sludge is collected separately and then also passed on to licensed waste management companies.
And our responsibility does not stop when the waste leaves our ship. In order to ensure that our high standards are also respected ashore, our environmental officers visit the waste management companies on site and carry out company audits and inspections in the ports. This allows us to monitor the processing and whereabouts of our waste. If our environmental officers find out that waste management companies have not met the agreed standards, we immediately impose specific conditions on them. If they do not meet these requirements, we contract out to a new company or select another port for disposal. In the future, we want to monitor all waste disposal companies at least once a year. By the end of 2011 we inspected 45 of our 64 waste disposal companies, where we had disposed of waste at least twice.
But however well our waste management system works, it is of course even better to generate as little waste as possible. That is why we’re working on significantly reducing our waste generation per guest and per day. In 2011 alone, we reduced the waste quota of our guests by a further 2.6 %.