Assessment of the performance of cruise ship waste management: Case study of the Rio de Janeiro port, Brazil

Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 Apr:201:116216. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116216. Epub 2024 Mar 5.

Abstract

The significant growth of the cruise ship industry has resulted in economic benefits, but there are also waste management-related challenges. The aim of this case study was to contribute to the research of cruise ship waste management at the Port of Rio de Janeiro. A3 methodology, applied for the first time in this context, was used to create questionnaires to assess the stakeholders involved, revealing that institutional bureaucracy has a negative effect on waste management. In addition, secondary data on unloaded waste, obtained from the transport manifests, showed that 56 % contained reliable information. The main wastes were plastics (57 %), glass (17 %), metal (9 %), and others. With respect to destinations, 41 % were sent to landfills, 55 % recycled and 4 % thermally treated. Only 5 % of cruise ship moorings removed waste at the Port of Rio de Janeiro, attributed to factors such as high costs.

Keywords: Cruise ships; Rio de Janeiro port; Solid waste management; Waste unloaded.

MeSH terms

  • Brazil
  • Plastics
  • Recycling
  • Ships*
  • Waste Management*

Substances

  • Plastics