BREWERS' GUARDIAN: Zero waste elaborated

Zero waste elaborated
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Larry Nelson on 08 September, 2010 12:08:00
 
One of the difficulties posed by print journalism is the constraint of space –
really useful bits of information sometimes get squeezed out of Brewers’
Guardian simply because of the availability of column inches.
Of course websites offer an alternative: to include almost every scrap of
information available. (And there’s the converse rub: there’s a lot of
material on the web that could benefit from sound, firm editorial judgments.
That’s a rant for another day.)
Our July/August issue featured on its cover the work being undertaken at the
MillerCoors' brewery in Trenton, Ohio to reduce waste streams to zero, or as
near as ‘zero’ as possible. The story focused on the people involved, about
challenging, changing and retaining behavior to ensure that waste is reduced,
recycled or reused.
This, of course, left not completely explained for BG readers two very good
questions: exactly what wastes, and how much of each material, does an
industrial scale brewery produce? And where are the markets for use of this
material?
Trenton’s sustainable development coordinator, Kelly Harris, helpfully
provided the following information for the first six months of 2010, based on
production of 4,936,295 US barrelage during this period.
Spent grains – total weight 66,004 tons. Most of it is sold to dairy farmers
where it is used as feed.
Yeast – total weight 10,079.5 tons. As a high protein source the yeast is
sold to food processing plants where it is used as additives.
Scrap wood is used at a local mulching company where it is shredded and turned
into mulch. The waste isn’t weighed in this instance.
Scrap metal – 66.06 tons sent to a recycling facility where it is separated
and recycled into other metal products.
Electronic scrap – 1.46 tons. A recycling centre breaks down and recycles the
material.
Cardboard – 760.59 tons. Trailer loads of shredded, baled cardboard are sent
to a nearby mill where it is recycled.
Aluminum cans – 135.5 tones. The material is shredded, bailed and sent for
recycling.
Plastic strapping that holds packaging material together until used – 69.46
tons. This PET material is sent back to the manufacture for reuse.
LDPE plastic, aka shrink wrap, semi-clear plastic wrapped around packaging
materials received at Trenton – 36.44 tons. The material is sold to several
plastics companies. Previously it was used as material for composite decking for
homes and sold to farms to be used between rows of crops to eliminate weeds and
promote higher yields.
Miscellaneous office paper – 77.80 tons. This is sent back to paper mills
where it is turned back into pulp and used for a variety of products.
Finally there is ’Farm-On’, a byproduct from the waste water treatment
plant used by farmers as a soil fertilizer. For the first six months of 2010
11,260 tons were produced.