While on the boat we ate pretty well, and gave a lot of it back to the ocean not only due to seasickness, but also in compliance with Coast Guard garbage regulations. Once a vessel is more than 12 NM away from land it is permitted to dump most garbage overboard and release most waste into the ocean. Emptying the trash during midwatch was a duty I was fortunate to have on multiple occasions. All trash was divided into two bins: plastic and everything else. The plastic trash got stowed, but the everything else got dumped as soon as we were outside the 12NM zone.
Overboard it went with a few shakes. You couldn't really see it in the dark, but it still felt very weird. I'm used to putting the trash out then not having to think about where it goes. (But then again everything on land makes it into tidy landfills and sewage treatment plants would NEVER pump raw sewage into the ocean). Well, when you're in the middle of the ocean there is very little capacity on board for trash and other waste. On the Cramer we created very minimal trash and gray water (water from showers and sinks), but imagine what a cruise ship produces? I'm sure they're not limited to one shower every three days. But I bet the passengers aren't doing the dumping themselves either...
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