Waste Reduction & Recycling

Jam Cruise takes a two-pronged approach to waste management – waste reduction and recycling. Reducing the amount of waste that is generated on our cruise is an important first step. JC7’s Brews at Sea program offered keg beer in biodegradable/compostable PLA cups (made from corn), reducing the amount of glass and plastic waste generated. MSC Cruises served all other food and beverages in reusable materials, further reducing waste generated during the event. We trained over 50 JC7 passengers who volunteered at the ZeroHero waste sorting stations for glass, plastic, aluminum and PLA cups. By adopting a highly visible and interactive pre-sorting approach, all the passengers become active participants with waste management.



JC7’s waste management program successfully diverted 28.3 tons of waste from the landfill, making our total diversion rate 60%. The recycled material included 2.3 tons of aluminum, 2.5 tons of plastic, and 2.4 tons of wood. On top of that 21.1 tons of mixed trash was diverted to the Broward County Waste to Energy Facility. This facility uses advanced technology to produce clean energy to over 75,000 homes in the Fort Lauderdale area. Please visit to learn more about this state of the art facility.

Our largest and most meticulously sorted waste stream, glass, is also our biggest waste management challenge. In order to accommodate the volume and storage limitations on a cruise ship, the glass waste is sent through a crusher, resulting is a material that the recycling community refers to as “cullet”. Cullet has the least value on the recycling market, and today, the market for recycled glass is virtually non-existent.

Until the recycling market rebounds, it is more important than ever that we move our focus toward recycling of aluminum and continued glass waste reduction through increased utilization of keg and canned beer and PLA cups . Many breweries and microbreweries, realizing this shift in recycling markets, are choosing to bottle their beer in aluminum cans. New canning technologies (water-based coatings) have resulted in better shelf life and improved flavor characteristics. Here is your chance to weigh in on the issue -- please visit the Jam Cruise Forum on the topic on glass vs. aluminum to voice your opinion.

Waste management on Jam Cruise is a constantly evolving and organic process which we will constantly be striving to improve. Thank you to all the Jam Cruise passengers who help put waste in its place!