THE NAVY SHIPBOARD WASTE MANAGEMENT RESEARCH-AND-DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Increasing federal regulatory restrictions on overboard waste discharge in national and international waters require that the Navy develop shipboard equipment and procedures to process and store a wide range of wastes onboard surface ships or, where permitted, to discharge certain wastes in environmentally acceptable forms. Navy policy and guidance recognizes the fleet's environmental responsibilities, and major research, development, test, and evaluation efforts are being conducted to develop and evaluate suitable shipboard waste processing systems for oily wastes, non-oily wastewater, hazardous wastes/materials, and solid wastes. Environmental protection systems for back-fit and forward-fit are being developed. A wide range of shipboard requirements must be accommodated, including space, size/weight, safety/health, and reliability. Current priorities focus on plastics and other solid wastes, oily wastes, ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons and blackwater. Significant progress is being made, and the Navy is confident that ship designs for the 21st century will be environmentally sound.