Of the world's largest aircraft carrier with 5,000 sailors aboard and more than 15,000 meals a day, a lot of waste is generated. But in the middle of the sea, there is no landfill to dump waste.
Waste processing is an important but probably underappreciated part of continuous operations for a floating city of such magnificent size and structure that constantly conducts air operations in an ocean environment. If there were no trash disposal system on board, the ship would have to cut back on its operations and finally make its way back to port to unload its garbage.
Over two decades ago, waste was typically thrown from the fan tail of the ship; however, it became apparent that this was affecting the ecosystem and sea life. These days, people have developed a greater concern for the environment. Workers at the Navy's waste management division sort through and process hundreds of tons of garbage using specialized equipment. The management of the ship's garbage is a significant undertaking that requires handling food waste, plastics, and metal and the pursuit of recycling opportunities wherever available.
The trash is collected from every area on the ship, where it quickly piles up before being divided into several categories. Trash is categorized specifically because different kinds of waste require distinct approaches while being disposed of. Having the awareness that everything is handled distinctly makes their job much simpler. Certain members of the Navy are accountable for processing this process. These 16 sailors must perform their jobs in an extremely congested, confined area. The air is thick with moisture and reeks of the odor of the hundreds of pounds of garbage that one could reasonably expect a small city to generate.
#aircraftcarrier #usnavy #sailors
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