Increase recovery of waste
Examples include recycling, improved packaging and the recovery of waste for use in other processes such as biogas generation.
The Megmilk Snow Brand Group sustainability efforts - Japan
| Source : IDF National Committee of Japan |
1. Food recyclability increased through improved treatment of wastes during distribution and storage.
A new group was founded within the Logistics Department in October 2009 to dedicate itself to enforce the improvement of food recyclability. There is an initiative to use food downgraded that arose during distribution for feeding purposes. It started off as a regional initiative, which later became national. The quantity of skim-milk powder in particular was increased for recycling as demonstrated in the present file, giving 975kg in 2008, 2,000kg in 2009 and 21,825kg in 2010 with the marked recyclability for the last three years.
2. Disposed food products were reduced.
A Long Life products Management team served to unify controlling national inventory for long life dairy products and each regional logistics center worked harder to improve accuracy of foreseeing market demand. This resulted in the approximately 50% reduction of wasted long life dairy products.
3. Reduction of energy and carbon dioxide emission was achieved due to introduction of environmental friendly delivery vehicles and improved delivery efficiency.
- More delivery vehicles were introduced to those fuel saving types when they became old and need to be renewed;
- Vehicle allocation centers worked harder to be effective in unitarily controlling transportation between shipping yards in the entire country;
- As for delivery to customers, each regional logistics center uses a unique distribution control system and vehicle allocation system to review vehicle carrying efficiency and traffic routes on a daily basis for its relevant selection of vehicle size.
Packaging recycling and waste recovery as a sustainable industry experience - Uruguay
| Source : CONAPROLE |
From its policy, Conaprole is commited to an efficient use of resources. There are many ways in which we are achieving that compromise. One of them is to closely work with local cooperatives of classifiers/sorters to manage waste at two of Conaprole's industrial plants.
At the "San Ramon" plant, we developed an onsite classification program. The various fractions are then sent to a cooperative of classifiers located in the near area. The work is done in agreement with the local government, who awarded us for the second consecutive year with the Canaria's Certificate of Environmental Quality and Social Responsibility in Solid Waste Management.
Since its inauguration in 2004, the Conaprole "CIM" plant has been cooperating with a specially created cooperative of classifiers. With the support of an NGO (San Vicente) it was possible to formalize a cooperative that works through the management of our waste.
These initiatives enable more efficient use of resources. Due to them sorted waste can be recycled thanks to the contribution of formal cooperatives. In this manner, forty additional people have been employed and two hundred trained.
Pictures Links Contact all info
Disposal of on-farm waste - Grant Archer, Cressy, Tasmania, Australia
| Source : Dairy Australia |
Grant employs a young trainee on his farm. The trainee James has been taught to be environmentally wise, for example collecting and disposing appropriately of silage wrapping and empty containers. Refer to the following video:
Supporting dairy processors to reduce product losses
| Source : Tetra Pak International |
To optimise the utilisation of raw material is a key aspect in the design of Tetra Pak processing solutions. This is done e.g. by applying accurate control systems for dosing and blending ingredients.
Product waste is minimised through efficient start-up procedures and systems reducing mix-phases when changing production from one product to another.
Moreover, specific features in the production systems recover food products within the process. These include product recovery in pipes at start-ups, stops and at the end of production.
One example is the so-called “white-water recovery” allowing milk components and water to be recovered from a milk-water mix using filtration systems.
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Promote Recycling Waste for a Sustainable Society in Japan
| Source : IDF National Committee of Japan |
Summary:
The world natural resources are becoming so scarce that it is urgently needed to make our society more sustainable. As for the dairy industry, we aim to promote recycling of as much waste as possible and to minimize the environmental load relating to resource collection/extraction and disposal.
- The goal of year 2010: (1) more than 75% of waste recycled, (2) Less than 10,000 tons of final waste disposed.
- To promote minimization of disposing and recycling waste out of food processing, containers and industrial water.
Reduce waste out of dairy factories and improve resource efficiency - Japan
| Source : IDF National Committee of Japan |
1. We aim to convert food waste into feedstuff and/or fertilizer, thereby contribute to the eventual increase in self-sufficiency in feed and fertilizer of Japan.
- To convert factory waste of plant and animal origins to liquid feedstuff to be used at pig farms.
- To utilize milk powder waste out of dairy factories to be used for chicken and pig farms.
- To utilize factory waste of cheese products for mixing with feedstuff at pig farms.
2. We aim to manufacture a fertilizer containing dried microorganism by the utilization of organic slime, thereby contribute to the eventual increase in overall self-sufficiency in feed and fertilizer of Japan.
- Organic waste slurry derived from dairy factories is so rich in nitrous and phosphorus substances and free from such toxic matters as heavy metals that its application to fertilizer production is considered promising.
- The normal moisture level of dehydrated slime ranging around 85% can be reduced down to 10% by a drier, which falls into the category of 'dried microbes fertilizer' as stipulated by the fertilizer law of Japan. This paves the way into broader applications.
Implementation of the European Packaging Directive – Royal Friesland Campina
| Source : Royal FrieslandCampina |
The European Packaging Directive contains objectives regarding the collection, recycling and reduction of packaging waste.
In Belgium, FrieslandCampina has applied the Directive on the basis of FOST Plus, in Germany on the basis of DSD (Duales System Deutschland) and in the Netherlands on the basis of Stichting Nedvang (‘the Netherlands from waste to raw materials’) since January 1, 2006
Source: Royal FrieslandCampina N.V. Annual Report 2008
Increase recovery of waste - Colombia
See picture
Zero waste to landfill – United Kingdom
| Source : Dairy UK |
- Robert Wiseman’s Bellshill dairy in Lanarkshire has operated a successful waste reduction pilot, with recycling rates up from 17% to over 88% of total waste output.
- Wiseman’s pilot scheme has provided a blueprint procedure that involves logging all waste leaving the sites and identifying alternative options to landfill.
Dean Foods Company – Texas, USA
| Source : Innovation Center For US Dairy |
“At Dean Foods, we believe our progress should be measured not only by our financial performance, but also by the impact we have on society, our communities and our environment.” – Gregg Engles, CEO
Dean Foods was an early adopter of:
- Establishing and publicly reporting its Carbon Footprint
- Setting reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and solid waste disposal
Recycling to reduce landfill - Australia
| Source : Australian Dairy |
- Murray Goulburn Leitchville diverted about 110 t of woodchip boiler flyash from landfill to compost. While there were high costs to improve storage and movement of flyash to the composter, increases in landfill charges and more stringent regulations on landfill made the option viable.
- The Leongatha site combines environmental benefits with social benefits by working with a local special needs school to shred waste paper from the factory office which is then converted into briquettes offsite. These briquettes are sold to raise funds for the school and reduce waste sent to landfill.
Australian Dairy Manufacturing Sustainability Report 2007/08
Packaging improvements - Australia
| Source : Australian Dairy |
National Foods Salisbury installed a shredder that removed liquid from plastic and cardboard. The waste disposal company now accepts this cleaner waste for recycling instead of landfill. The Penrith site installed a bailer, which compacts its cardboard and a bottle crusher to compact plastic waste allowing the site to recycle 95% of its waste cardboard and plastics.
- Similarly, the Campbellfield site recycles 9 tonnes of cardboard per month since installing a compactor and tippler bin hoist. Costing $25,000, it paid for itself in just over a year through reduced landfill charges.
Murray Goulburn (MG) Leitchville uses a carton-less cheese packing process, saving 83 tonnes of cardboard per year. The cheese blocks are transferred into stainless steel hoops to cool, improving their shape and reducing off-cuts during the natural cut process. Depending on customer requirements, these blocks are packaged into either cardboard cartons or bulk bins, or placed directly onto pallets as un-cartoned blocks
- As the customer does not have to de-carton the blocks, it helps MG reach its targets of reduced packaging and improves manual handling. MG saves another 4 tonnes of cardboard a year by changing the Cryovac cheese bag packaging from cardboard to shrink wrap. This reduces the weight of the packaging and the labour time required to transfer cheese bags out of the cardboard and into plastic containers before entering the production area
Australian Dairy Manufacturing Sustainability Report 2007/08
Packaging efficiencies - Australia
| Source : Australian Dairy |
Norco Foods Raleigh saves $25,000 per year by implementing a minor program change to the product fillers. This change flushes pasteurised water through cleaned product lines prior to production and reduces losses during product change over.
National Foods Hobart made alterations to their carton packer to reduce losses. These included:
- Closing the loop on the cooling water of the top press and guide rails instead of the once pass system saves about 3 ML of town water per year.
- Relocating the vacuum pump to reduce pipe work and improve suction, thereby reducing the number of mis-picks by about 50 per day. For every mis-pick, three cartons were removed. Over a year, this saves about 35,000-40,000 cartons.
- Adjusting the magazine carts to allow them to be individually tuned to maximise performance. This provided a noticeable decrease in miss picked cartons.
- Adjusting the filler guides to perform more accurately, reduced the number of damaged cartons per day
Australian Dairy Manufacturing Sustainability Report 2007/08
Resource efficiency - Greece
| Source : IDF National Committee of Greece |
- Increase recycling of packaging: very limited reuse of glass milk bottles have been achieved. However, the main packaging material is paper which is reused as recycled paper.
- Use of packaging with the lowest environmental impact: it has become almost universal the use of paper packaging for milk, which is environmentally, friendly. For other milk products various materials are used, mainly plastic. No special care is given to the recycling of this kind of packaging material.
- Increase recovery of waste: limited progress has been done in this area.
Prairieland Dairy – Nebraska, USA
| Source : Innovation Center For US Dairy |
“At our dairy we’re very proactive in that we bring people in. We educate them about the practices that we have and what we are doing for sustainability, the comfort of the cows, and how we produce the product.” - Dan Rice
Achieving zero waste through:
Recycling
- Manure
- Milk packaging
Composting
Reducing solid waste and supporting reuse and recycling - Canada
| Source : Gay Lea Foods Co-operative |
Gay Lea Foods is committed in reducing solid waste and supporting reuse and recycling programs. Products containing recycled content divert solid waste from landfill and can reduce energy use by re-processing recycled materials into a new product. Furthermore, recycled materials reduce environmental impacts by reducing the consumption of earth resources.
Gay Lea Foods has numerous environmental activities that are designed to reduce solid waste directed to land fill through implementation of reuse and recycling initiatives.
For example, Gay Lea Foods’ Longlife division has increased its recycling program by 24% since 2003.
Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Limited ‘2008 Environmental Sustainability Report’
Reducing Fonterra’s Milk Processing and Distribution Emissions - New Zealand
| Source : Fonterra |
- Fonterra faces a price for all carbon dioxide emissions from its processing and supply chain / transport operations.
- Fonterra’s Energy Reduction Project is one of the largest energy efficiency programmes in the New Zealand industrial sector. Since 2003 this project has reduced energy use by 15%, a saving of 325,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, or put another way, the electricity use of 130,000 households.
- Fonterra is reducing transport emissions by optimisation of transportation systems: more milk, fewer tankers, use of rail, use of milk concentration plants, plus use of automated scheduling
- Eliminating waste also contributes to emissions reductions. Landfill reduction target of 90% was achieved in 2009 as a result of packaging changes / recovery. The product optimisation approach has also been refined to further reduce any incidence of product waste. Recycling water also contributes to pumping / electricity cost reductions
New and Improved Processes and Products: Case-Less Milk Jug Technology - USA
| Source : Darigold |
Caseless Technology
- Darigold’s first early success in Plant Operations occurred in 2008 with the introduction of Caseless Jug technology. At the time, Darigold needed to expand filling capacity and had begun implementing LEAN processes throughout the supply chain. We recognized that our conventional supply chain process contained 23 touch points contributing to high distribution and handling costs. Installing an additional traditional filling line would have just perpetuated those inefficiencies. We then licensed and implemented a new and unique technology that not only improves product quality but also makes it possible to dramatically improve our operational and distribution efficiencies.
- In an early adapter move, Darigold embraced this technology and eliminated inefficient back-hauls of empty plastic milk cases, while removing numerous processes within the supply chain. Even before incorporating sustainable practices into our corporate strategy, Darigold reduced its overall carbon footprint by reducing fuel consumption and packaging waste. Best of all, we delivered a new value-added product to our customers as many retailers realized -labor savings as the need to handle plastic milk crates was eliminated.
As regards packaging in Lactalis - France
| Source : Lactalis |
- The purchasing department of Lactalis has made significant progress in reducing the weight and types of packaging used by the Group. This has led, for example, to savings of 60 tonnes of cardboard on Bridelice ‘iles flottantes’ packaging, 80 tonnes of plastic film used in Lactel Milk packaging and 44 tonnes of polyethylene on yoghurt pots.
- Efforts are also made to reflect on how consumers dispose of packaging, to try and avoid high levels of raw material waste. Teams from the central purchasing department have a serious commitment to this issue, have already achieved significant results and are continuing to look for further improvements
