Cruise ships recycle everything

January 1, 1970

ACA's Rod Pfleiger, second from right, talked about how Valley farmers can sell Alaska-grown produce to the cruise ships during a potato and vegetable conference in Palmer. Other panelists include, from left to right, Brian McJunkin of FSA, Alvin Smith of FSA, Alan Seidman of Johnson & Wales University, Pfleiger, and Rob Kinneen, the Captain Cook Hotel Chef.

Some of the world's most aggressive recyclers are the cruise ships that bring more than 1 million visitors to Alaska each year.

All waste materials aboard the ships are recycled, incinerated or offloaded and disposed of in approved shoreside facilities. Materials to be recycled are compacted, crushed or baled and stored on board the ships until they are turned over to an approved vendor for disposal.

In Vancouver, B.C., Tymac Launch Service has the contract to service the 18 ships that homeport there for the summer.

Tymac removed 42 tons of aluminum last season, 261 tons of cardboard and 207 tons of scrap metal. It sent 22 loads of wood to the recyclers and handled 1,629 tons of solid waste and 313 tons of incinerator ash.

Each week it handed over an average of 6 large boxes of printer/toner cartridges to the Vancouver Food Bank, which sells the cartridges to a recycler for a small fee.

Tymac also offloads used bedding and donates it to non-profits that help the homeless and underprivileged.