Carnival Corporation today announced it has completed the installation of nearly 600 food waste biodigesters across its fleet in support of ongoing food waste management and reduction efforts as part of its overall commitment to environmental compliance, the company said in a press release.
The technology has been added to ships from the company’s nine cruise line brands – Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.
The biodigester technology uses a natural aerobic digestion process inside each machine to efficiently break down food waste utilizing a mix of beneficial microorganisms, enabling the systems to process anything that can be consumed by a human.
Able to perform automated digestion 24 hours per day, the biodigesters are strategically placed in key areas of the ship where food is processed, further improving onboard operations by making it easier and more efficient for crew members to manage and control food waste. Additionally, the machines capture non-food items or other materials accidentally mixed with food waste, providing an additional layer of protection for environmental compliance on each ship.
The fleetwide biodigester installation supports Carnival Corporation’s aggressive food waste management objectives, as part of its 2030 sustainability goals. These goals support the company’s circular economy focus area by including a commitment to achieve a 30% reduction in unit food waste by 2022 and a 50% reduction in unit food waste by 2030, as outlined in the company’s latest sustainability report. These new goals build on the company’s latest achievement of reducing food waste per person by over 20% at the end of 2021, which doubled its original goal of reaching a 10% reduction in food waste by the end of last year, relative to a 2019 baseline.
“The significant investment in this technology goes hand in hand with our highest responsibility and top priority at Carnival Corporation, which is compliance, environmental protection and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the people in the communities we visit and serve, and our shipboard and shoreside personnel,” said Bill Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival Corporation. “We have made great strides in our circular economy focus area and the rollout of nearly 600 biodigesters represents another important milestone for our ongoing efforts to further minimize our impact on the oceans we sail and the communities we visit while supporting overall food waste management efforts and environmental compliance onboard our ships.”
