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Vessel Refuse Disposal
A vessel shall, while the vessel remains in or near a port, make available for collection by an authorised collector vessel waste including animal waste, organic refuse and galley scraps of quarantinable waste.
While in port, any vessel waste on deck must be secured so that it is inaccessible to birds or animals i.e. bagged and in lidded deck bins.
No plant or animal material is to be taken off board without prior permission from AQIS.
Where a ship is equipped with an incinerator on board, the following AQIS requirements will apply.
- The incinerator must be inspected and approved by AQIS for use in Australian ports and waters.
- The incinerator must consume all animal waste, organic refuse, galley scraps or waste from the ship.
- Ship’s waste is to be reduced to ash and on inspection by a quarantine officer found to be inert.
- Soft drink and beer cans or bottles may be given ashore for domestic waste collection provided they are inspected by a quarantine officer prior to off loading and are found to be free of quarantine risk material and/or contaminates (i.e. there is to be no food items of any kind mixed in with the bottles and cans or in the waste disposal bags used to take them ashore).
- There must be proper containment for the residue ash.
- The refuse awaiting incineration must be properly stored in a garbage room, which may or may not be kept refrigerated and the garbage room must be kept in a satisfactory condition.
- The incinerator must be maintained in a clean, satisfactory and fully operational condition. If not AQIS must be notified, so arrangements can be made to deliver the waste a shore to an authorized quarantine waste collector.
- The incinerator must be used regularly to avoid accumulation of garbage and should not contravene clean air regulations. Therefore the use of an on board incinerator in some Australian ports is not permitted.
Ship’s Masters should ascertain the procedures on arrival at port from their agent.
Last Updated: 23 Apr 2007
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