Field Waste Treatment Options for Antarctica New Zealand

• Main Author: Ross, Emily
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: 2003
• Subjects: New Zealand; Scott Base; Antarc*; Antarctica; Antarctica New Zealand
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10092/14239

It is timely for Antarctica New Zealand to review field waste management practises. A formal policy decision needs to be made on this issue before further work is progressed on a technical solution to managing field waste. The recently commissioned Scott Base sewage treatment plant (STP) was not designed with the intention Of receiving field waste. It is therefore it is a substantial exercise to find a satisfactory long term solution. However, the STP does have spare capacity to process field waste when the number of people resident at Scott Base is fewer than 122 persons. Several common issues are identified which need to be managed in the design and implementation of any field waste treatment solution. Resolving occupational health and safety issues will be straightforward as good practice is already observed at Scott Base. The field waste management options considered in this paper are: • Relocation of field waste to New Zealand for destruction. • Modification of the Scott Base STP in some way to receive field waste. • Utilising the proposed McMurdo field waste treatment facilities. • Other Without investigating the economic, environmental and occupational safety and health implications to a greater depth, it is impossible to recommend one option over another. It is timely for Antarctica New Zealand to review field waste management practises. A formal policy decision needs to be made on this issue before further work is progressed on a technical solution to managing field waste. The recently commissioned Scott Base sewage treatment plant (STP) was not designed with the intention Of receiving field waste. It is therefore it is a substantial exercise to find a satisfactory long term solution. However, the STP does have spare capacity to process field waste when the number of people resident at Scott Base is fewer than 122 persons. Several common issues are identified which need to be managed in the design and implementation of any field waste treatment solution. Resolving occupational health and safety issues ...