Pollution Prevention

In 1973, the United States and other maritime nations signed a treaty that regulated the discharge of garbage and other solid wastes from ships. It prohibited the discharge of plastics anywhere at sea and of food, paper, cardboard, metal, and glass near land and in special areas. To implement the treaty, Congress passed legislation in the late 1980s requiring naval vessels to comply with these pollution requirements by December 31, 1993; at the request of the Navy, Congress extended the Navy's compliance to 1998 and beyond. This fact sheet reviews the Navy's response to the treaty and its accompanying legislation. GAO provides information on (1) the two plans that the Navy has proposed so far; (2) the solid waste processing equipment the Navy has developed in accordance with these plans; and (3) the cost of this equipment.

GAO found that: (1) since the enactment of marine pollution legislation in 1987, the Navy has proposed two plans to develop and procure solid waste processing equipment; (2) the Navy has estimated that it would take up to 11 years to develop, produce, and install the equipment necessary to meet shipboard solid waste discharge requirements; (3) in 1993, the Navy revised the equipment requirements stipulated in its original waste management plan; (4) between 1979 and 1993, the Navy spent $26 million to research, develop, and acquire solid waste processing equipment; (5) the Navy projects that between 1992 and 1999 it will require an additional $901 million to develop, acquire, and install shipboard solid waste processing equipment; (6) the Navy is currently reconsidering its projected solid waste processing program costs due to legislative changes to the program; and (7) the Navy estimates that between 1997 and 1999 it will need an additional $24 million for research and development of solid waste processing equipment to be used onboard submarines.