| RCG to transform waste

ROYAL Caribbean Group (RCG) is helping protect the oceans by “transforming” its waste management practices.

Two of RCG’s newest ships will convert waste to energy on board, expand their Green Hubs programs, and use technology such as food waste applications.

Microwave-Assisted Pyrolysis (MAP) and Micro Auto Gasification (MAG) will debut respectively on Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas (pictured) and Silversea Cruises’ Silver Nova when they debut later this year.

The processes take waste on board and converts it into synthesis gas which the ship can directly use as energy, repurposing garbage in an efficient and sustainable way.

RCG plans to reduce food waste across the fleet by 50% by 2025 as it modifies its processes from start to finish.

To do so, the cruise company is developing a proprietary platform to monitor food supply and accurately estimate how much food should be produced, prepped and ordered on a given day; using artificial intelligence to adjust food production in real time; and introducing a dedicated onboard food waste role to monitor and train crew members.

RCG will also track guest demand for specific menu items, adjusting food preparation and ordering accordingly, and will partner with the World Wildlife Fund to introduce a food waste awareness campaign in the crew dining areas fleetwide.

To date, RCG has achieved a 24% reduction in food waste by focusing on the front end of the food system, which prevents and addresses many of the main causes of food waste, including inventory management and over-preparing.

Meanwhile, joining RCG’s Green Hub program will be the Galapagos Islands, where Silversea became the first operator to gain certification in environmental management by diverting all waste from landfill.

RCG developed Green Hub, a capacity-building program to identify waste vendors in strategic destinations, in 2014.

It has thus far helped divert 92% of its waste from landfills since it began, growing to 33 ports worldwide.