Gone are the days of “ditching gash” off the quarterdeck. The Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers incorporate a sophisticated and highly integrated waste management system which culminates in a pair of pyrolysis plants for waste volume reduction on each ship. The inclusion of pyrolysis plants is understood to be a unique installation in the marine sector, other than the ex. HMS Ocean (now NAM Atlântico). The system has many environmental and sustainability benefits over traditional waste systems which compact, incinerate or discharge waste overboard. In naval terms, this results in increased endurance, sustainable operation, reduced pollution, and safeguards the ships’ freedom of navigation in environmentally sensitive areas, which may be subject to stricter legislation in future. This paper explores the history of the system’s design; the unique operation of the system and pyrolysis plants; the impact to the Royal Navy and the sailors; recent developments in operation, testing and commissioning; the present and future environmental context; and the potentially exciting future ahead for similar installations.