Trash in the Ocean

There was a time when my job was to throw trash into the ocean... everyday. On my first Caribbean cruise aboard the USS Portland in 1971 I and other sailors of my rank were required to gather the trash throughout our departments on the ship and take the trash cans, sometimes overflowing with trash and garbage, up on deck and toss it overboard. It was very important to know which side of the ship to throw the trash from because of the wind. There would be hell to pay if any garbage blew back on the ship. There would always be a ship's whistle followed by an announcement over the intercom as to which side of the ship, port or starboard, to throw the trash from.

However, a few months later it no longer mattered which side of the ship you tossed the trash because the Navy introduced plastic bags into the fleet as trash can liners. Then it became a relatively simple thing to throw the heavy bag of trash directly into the ocean from anywhere on the ship. I can still visualize the line of floating plastic bags following the ship after trash call. There was always a certain time and announcement made when the ship was far enough at sea to throw trash overboard during operations along a coast for several days of war games and maneuvers. The trash bags would float along behind the ships and eventually sink. It's probably still happening on Navy ships and also especially cruise ships even more so. Disgusting.