Carnival Cruise Line has claimed a reduction in food waste since it restarted guest operations to celebrate Earth Day.
As Carnival nears the return of its entire fleet, it becomes the first major cruise line to employ bio-digesters across its whole operation, with the intention of lawfully discharging only processed food waste, the company said.
Carnival has installed more than 200 bio-digesters, covering every ship in the fleet. Currently, 22 Carnival ships are serving guests and ‘Carnival Splendor’s’ restart on 2nd May will complete the full 23-ship fleet’s return.
A bio-digester is an enclosed container converting food waste into liquid at an accelerated rate – breaking down 99% of the food put into it, with only a fine, silt-like material remaining.
By utilising beneficial micro-organisms, plus oxygen and warm water, digesters can process anything that can be consumed by a human.
“Earth Day is a great opportunity to recognise our efforts toward a more sustainable future, and making the process of discarding food waste significantly more environmentally-friendly is a big step in that mission.” said Richard Pruitt, Carnival’s Vice President of Environmental Operations.
On ‘Mardi Gras’ alone (pictured), 14 digesters on board can process about 142,000 pounds of food waste each week, the company claimed.
