Managing wastes at Scott Base
Reduce, reuse, recycle and return is a familiar phrase for most of us. For people who visit or live at Scott Base in Antarctica, the phrase takes on a whole new meaning!
Antarctica is one of the least disturbed environments on Earth and there are international protocols to protect it. The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty designates Antarctica as a “natural reserve, devoted to peace and science”. The protocol has requirements about waste management and waste disposal as part of its comprehensive protection of the entire continent.
Waste management at Scott Base
Waste management is serious business at Scott Base and in all of Antarctica. The global Antarctic Treaty has expectations regarding waste management planning and waste disposal to avoid detrimental effects on the continent’s terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Download as a PDF.
Aotearoa New Zealand has its own environmental legislation that governs activities planned or conducted by New Zealanders in Antarctica. Antarctica New Zealand, the government agency responsible for Scott Base, goes above and beyond what the Antarctic Treaty requires when it comes to its own environmental protocols.
Antarctica New Zealand’s vision is:
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean: Valued, Protected, Understood
Antarctica New Zealand has commitment to undertake all activities in a way that minimises impacts on the environment, both in Antarctica and New Zealand.
All human activities produce waste, so lots of attention is directed to waste management, storage and disposal at Scott Base, at field sites and in Christchurch.
Waste management decisions begin in New Zealand
The Antarctic Treaty Protocol has a list of prohibited products – one of which is unnecessary packaging. Antarctica New Zealand works with its suppliers to minimise packaging. There is a financial cost involved with getting items to Scott Base as well as the return trip back to Christchurch, so minimising and reusing materials makes financial and environmental sense.
People visiting and working at Scott Base are given a list of recommended brands for personal items like toothpaste, shampoo and sunscreen that have fewer micro-pollutants. They are also encouraged to use clothing made from natural fibres to reduce microplastics in greywater. It is even suggested that visitors take their dirty washing back to New Zealand to wash at home rather than at Scott Base!
Wastewater treatment at Scott Base
Scott Base is essentially a small town. Like most communities, it must deal with the wastewater it produces. However, there’s no landfill for solid wastes, so everything gets shipped back to Aotearoa New Zealand.
Select here to view video transcript, questions for discussion and copyright information.
Dealing with waste products
Living in Aotearoa, most of us sort our unwanted items and wastes into bins that are emptied on a regular basis. Wastewater pipes deliver greywater and what we flush down the toilet to a treatment plant. Some of the processes at Scott Base and field sites are similar – but the ‘what happens next’ is quite different! For example, most general wastes (items that cannot be composted, recycled or reused) are compacted into bales, weighed and loaded into shipping containers for disposal in the landfill in Kate Valley, North Canterbury – a trip of nearly 4,000 km. Recyclables are also shipped to Christchurch, where they join the regular recycling streams.
Food wastes are separated and hot composted in an industrial composter. The heat breaks down the food, removes a lot of the water and sterilises the final product. The compost is bagged and returned to Christchurch.
Extra care is taken with poultry products. Liquids from poultry are placed in specific containers in the kitchen rather than being rinsed down the sink. This liquid is treated in a similar manner to human wastes. To manage biosecurity risks, poultry products are prohibited in areas close to bird colonies. This is to prevent the transmission of avian disease.
Scott Base’s hot composting system
All solid waste produced by Scott Base and its field sites is packaged and returned to Aotearoa New Zealand. Organic wastes like food scraps are processed on site – making their return a lot less unpleasant for those who handle them in Christchurch!
Select here to view video transcript, questions for discussion and copyright information.
Human wastes are processed on site via a biological wastewater treatment plant at Scott Base. Faeces, urine and greywater go through three levels of treatment at the plant – screening and settling to remove solids, secondary biological treatment and tertiary ozone disinfection. The treated wastewater is pumped into the ocean, where it is quickly diluted, or if it is of sufficient quality, it is recycled and used to flush the toilets.
Wastewater treatment at Scott Base – microscopic organisms
Wastewater systems worldwide use microorganisms as part of their treatment process. Even though Antarctica is an extreme environment, it still hosts lots of tiny ‘bugs’ – some of which are endemic to the area.
Select here to view video transcript, questions for discussion and copyright information.
Field sites
Of course, most people don’t travel to Antarctica to just hang out at Scott Base. The same protocols for handling wastes at the base are observed away from the base. People who leave the base for short excursions or day trips take pee bottles and biohazard bags with them. Field sites have pee barrels, poo buckets and greywater barrels as well as coloured bags for rubbish, recycling and other wastes. A volunteer acts as the waste management officer and ensures that all wastes at field sites are carefully secured and returned to Scott Base. It’s all part of being responsible while on the ice!
Cleaning up the past
The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty came into force in 1998. A few decades prior, there was a big push by many countries to build bases on the continent. Many of these research stations and field camps were abandoned over the years – leaving behind equipment, fuel drums and spills. New Zealand scientists have been working to clean up some of these legacy sites and to ensure their present work leaves no trace.
Related content and activity ideas
Learn more about Scott Base.
Adventure and innovation on the ice follows two scientists as they spend months doing field work.
Fire in Antarctica is a literacy activity that looks at the hazard of fire in the driest, windiest, coldest place on Earth.
We have numerous resources about life and research in Antarctica – use the filters to select the type of resource and level.
Useful links
Read about Antarctica New Zealand’s activities to enhance environmental protection.
Learn more about the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty.
Acknowledgement
This resource was produced with the help of educators Carol Brieseman and Dianne Christenson. Carol and Dianne travelled to Antarctica as part of Antarctica New Zealand’s Community Engagement Programme.
