12.5 Waste Management

The USS Enterprise, like most large deep-space vehicles, sustains a closed ecological system to maintain environmental support. Unlike a planetary biosphere, however, a starship must use technologic means to approximate the complex ecologic processes that sustain life. Among these processes aboard the Enterprise are the waste management systems, which make optimal reuse of waste products. Without such recycling, the ship would be unable to carry sufficient food and water for the extended voyages required by many Starfleet missions.

Water and Sewage Recycling

Each crew member aboard the Enterprise typically generates approximately 52 liters of wastewater and sewage per day. This wastewater is pumped to treatment and recycling units located in the environmental support complexes on Decks 6, 13, and 24. Preliminary treatment is accomplished by a series of mechanical filtration processes that remove solids and particulates. (The residue is conveyed to the organic waste processing system for further treatment and recycling.) Osmotic and electrolytic fractioning is then employed to remove dissolved and microscopic contaminants for treatment and recycling. The resulting water is superheated to 150°C for biological sterilization before being subjected to a final mechanical filtration stage, then it is returned to one of several freshwater storage tanks for reuse.

The various waste sludges recovered from the water recycling processes are a valuable resource. The organic waste processing system subjects the sludge to a series of sterilizing heat and radiation treatments. The waste is then electrolytically reprocessed into an organic particulate suspension that serves as the raw material for the food synthesizer systems. Remaining byproducts are conveyed to the solid waste processing system for matter replication recycling.

Solid Waste Recycling

Solid waste such as trash is conveyed to processing units on Decks 9, 13, and 34 by means of linear induction utility conduits. Incoming solid waste is automatically scanned and classified as to type and composition. Items that can be recycled with mechanical reprocessing are separated. Such items, which constitute approximately 82% of all solid waste, include articles of clothing, packaging and other discarded containers, and small personal articles. These items are conveyed to a series of dedicated processors that first sterilize the waste products, then reduce them to a recyclable form (such as the processed fiber packets from which uniforms and other garments are fabricated). Hazardous materials (such as toxic, biohazard, and radioactive substances) are separated, and the remaining unrecoverable material is stored for matter replication recycling.

The Star Trek production company has been making its own efforts toward recycling the resources of planet Earth. Bins have been placed in the production offices as well as on the soundstages for the recycling of aluminum, paper, glass, and plastics, an effort spearheaded by Star Trek craft services person John Nesterowicz. (Particularly good use is made of our paper recycling bins, as a television company goes through a lot of paper to do its work.) The use of ozone-threatening, nondegradable plastic foam coffee cups has been abolished on our shooting stages, as well. During the filming of the movie Star Trek VI, director Nick Meyer ordered recycling bins placed on those stages, as well. Star Trek and Paramount Pictures have also embarked upon a major effort to reduce the creation of air pollutants by eliminating the use of certain types of spray lacquers for set painting and some types of special effects smoke and fog machines. Other environmentally conscious efforts offered by the studio include programs to encourage employee carpooling and company-sponsored discount bus passes. Some of these measures are quite costly in terms of finding acceptable substitutes, but all agree that the goal of protecting our environment is worth it.

Matter Replication Recycling

Material that cannot be directly recycled by mechanical or chemical means is stored for matter synthesis recycling. This is accomplished by molecular matrix replicators that actually dematerialize the waste materials and rematerialize them in the form of desired objects or materials stored in computer memory. While this process provides an enormous variety of useful items, it is very energy intensive and many everyday consumables (such as water and clothing) are recycled by less energy intensive mechanical or chemical means. Certain types of consumables (such as foodstuffs) are routinely recycled using matter replication because this results in a considerable savings of stored raw material (See: 13.5).

Hazardous Waste Recycling

Approximately 5% of all liquid and solid wastes are considered to be hazardous materials under toxicity, reactivity, biohazard, or radioactivity standards. Such materials are separated from other waste materials and are immediately diverted to a matter replicator, which converts them to inert carbon particles. This material is then stored for matter replication recycling.