Food waste is an awkward travelling companion. It takes up space, needs careful handling and certainly does not improve with age. For Lindblad Expeditions, storing it on board ships touring the Galápagos Islands had become a practical challenge.
The scenery might be spectacular, but behind the scenes there is still a galley to run and food waste to manage. And unlike a kitchen ashore, a ship cannot simply find more storage space around the corner.
To tackle the problem, Lindblad Expeditions has ordered three Eco-Smart Food Waste Dryers from Bergmann Direct for two of its expedition ships.
National Geographic Endeavour II received one ES150 and one ES300. National Geographic Gemini received a further ES300, bringing the order to three machines across the two vessels.
Both ships take guests on tours of the Galápagos Islands. While passengers enjoy their expedition, the crews face the less photogenic task of keeping everyday operations running, including managing what is left after meals.
The issue behind this order was straightforward: storing food waste on board. Due to Marpol Annex V regulations which prevents any waste going into the sea, smells and the volume of waste needs to be controlled on board.
Food waste contains moisture. Drying removes that moisture and reduces the volume of material by over 80% left to store. Rather than keeping the original bulky, wet waste, operators have a smaller quantity of dried material to manage.
That is the practical thinking behind the Eco-Smart approach. Reducing bulk at the point where waste is generated can ease pressure on storage, eliminate smells and vermin, an especially useful consideration when your available space is defined by the sides of a ship.
Lindblad Expeditions is also looking at rolling out Eco-Smart Food Waste Dryers across the rest of its fleet.
For now, three machines and two Galápagos ships mark the next step. Food waste may never be the highlight of an expedition, but giving it less room on board is a worthwhile ambition.
Is food waste taking up valuable space in your operation? Contact Bergmann Direct to discuss Eco-Smart Food Waste Dryers.