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310 lines
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ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
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Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
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[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Composting an the ]
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[ ]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [Grocery Industry ]
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[x]11-12 [x]Essay/Report [ ]
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[ ]College [ ]Misc [ ]
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Dizzed: 10/94 # of Words:2198 School: ? State: ?
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>><3E><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>><3E><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>>Chop Here><3E><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>><3E><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>><3E><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>><3E><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
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COMPOSTING AND THE GROCERY INDUSTRY
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The following bulletin was prepared from Grocery Industry Committee on
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Solid Waste October 24, 1991
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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Solid waste composting is an important component of an integrated
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solution for solid waste management. Composting can divert organic,
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compostable materials, not otherwise recycled, from the solid waste stream
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and convert them into a useful product. Composting is environmentally
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sound, technically and economically feasible and meets local waste
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management needs.
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This report, from the Grocery Compost Task Force to the Grocery
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Industry Committee on Solid Waste (GICSW), is intended to establish
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composting as a viable and sustainable component of an integrated solution
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for solid waste management. To do this the industry supports the
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development of composting systems for grocery manufacturers and retailers,
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and the development of the supporting infrastructure. Composting can
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handle from 30 to 60 percent of all municipal solid waste, including food
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waste, yard waste and paper and paperboard waste.
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The grocery industry is committed to a high level of product
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stewardship. This commitment includes the environmentally sound management
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of wastes generated at the retail levl as well as wastes from grocery
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products after they have been sold and used by consumers. Much of this
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waste is organic in nature and landfilled.
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From a product stewardship perspective the grocery industry believes
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that composting is a more environmentally sound management practice than
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disposal for managing these wastes. While single stream and segregated
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stream composting may be more readily available for many manufacturers' and
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retailers' own waste, MSW composting is an attractive alternative for waste
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created by consumers.
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This report focuses on grocery retailer composting programs, but will
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also address goals and programs for manufacturers.
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Food waste plus wet and waxed corrugated from retailers alone accounts
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for 6.6 million tons per year of waste that could be composted rather than
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discarded, which is nearly 4 percent of all municipal solid waste (MSW).
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Disposal of those wastes costs the grocery retailers $482 million per year,
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eating up the pre-tax profits from $34 billion of grocery retail sales.
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All food waste produced directly by manufacturers and retailers, as
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well as home food waste produced by grocer shoppers, comprises nearly 20
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percent of the entire grocery industry's wastes. On a store level, over 90
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percent of the solid waste is deemed by this task force to be most
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representative of a "typical" store, produce 43 percent of their waste as
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food waste. Almost all corrugated is recyclable or compostable. 30
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percent of the corrugated produced by a grocery store is either wet or
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waxed, precluding its recyclabiliy.
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Composting can achieve important benefits for the grocery industry
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including:
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1. Meeting the demands of grocery customers who are demanding more
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environmentally sound and responsible ways of managing solid waste;
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2. Proactively controlling waste disposal tonnage and expenses;
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3. Supporting governmental initiatives for landfill diversion and
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material recovery;
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4. Encouraging recycling of other materials; and
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5. Making the best use of natural and man-made resources by
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converting organic waste into compost instead of landfilling them.
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Each grocery industry facility should evaluate how best to handle its
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compostable waste. As detailed in the report, there are several possible
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approaches to handle mixed organics from the solid waste stream.
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Regardless of the approach, it is important for the industry to help
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establish a composting infrastructure. Market development is a key element
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of this infrastructure and the grocery industry supports market development
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initiatives.
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Depending upon the compost program, compost processors may require or
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prefer source-separated homogeneous food wastes to obtain maximum control
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over end-product quality. Source-separated materials may have greater
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value to the end user because of the densification and readiness for
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processing, and therefore may lead to lowest collection and processing
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costs for the generator.
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For grocery retailers, this report focuses on segregated stream
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composting. Because the industry can generate a source-separated product,
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free of harmful wastes and relatively free of inert materials, it can
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easily be integrated into whichever composting program is most likely to be
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available locally.
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This report explains the various ways to handle, collect, transport and
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process grocery store wastes for composting. In general, the GICW
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recommentds:
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* Collection of compostables in dedicated barrels;
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* Pickup and transportation of the compostables either by
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loading barrels into a truck or by emptying the barrels into a
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dedicated dumpster or compactor for collection by a hauler;
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* Composting at the best locally available site; and
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* Careful training of store employees to maximize participation
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and minimize contamination.
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Several specific recommendations addressing issues such as economic
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analysis, health issues, facility flexibility and recommended
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implementation steps are included.
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This report also discusses Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) composting. MSW
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composting, as described here, refers to the composting of residential and
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commercial separated mixed organic waste, with the recyclables and other
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noncompostable materials removed. Separation may occur at curbside or the
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waste may not be transported by conventional waste vehicles to a central
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site for the site separation of compostable materials from noncompostable
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materials. There are 15 MSW composting facilities currently available in
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the U. S. Another 150 are in various stages of planning or development (a
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new MSW facility can take 3-4 years to site, build and become operational).
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Where they do exist, they should be considered by grocers for composting.
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The availability of an organic fraction from the grocery industry will be
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added impetus for development of community based facilities.
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The mixed organics method of collecting compostables should require
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little or no change in supermarket operating methods since material
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separation is accomplished on the other end by the receiver or end user.
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All composting facilities need to use the best technology available to
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ensure production of compost that is safe and marketable. Attention must be
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given to the separation of compostable materials from recyclables and
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noncompostable waste.
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Many state and local governments, federal government through EPA and
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the Solid Waste Composting Council (SWCC) are addressing composting. In
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addition, composting. The GICSW should work with these entities toward the
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common goal of developing composting as a viable solid waste management
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tool.
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In order to develop end markets, the grocery industry should
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demonstrate and confirm the beneficial use of compost and aggressively
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promote the marketing of the product, specifically to known end users.
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Product standards and end markets for compost are in the early stages of
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development. Standards for end-product quality do not exist on a federal
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level but are beginning to be promulgated on a state-by-state basis.
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Currently market development is planned or in progress in 11 states. The
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GICSW should become involved in market development, establishing science-
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based standards, ensuring product quality, establishing pilot programs and
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supporting compost legislation. Specifically, the GICSW can play a role in
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opening new outlets for compost in the agricultural community.
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The industry should move towards setting and measuring attainment of
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goals to support the development of composting, such as:
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* The production of recyclable and/or compostable consumer
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packaging.
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* The recovery, through composting, of an annually escalating
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proportion of manufacturer and retailer wastes.
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* The recovery, through composting, of an annually escalating
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proportion of consumer wastes
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The grocery industry should make a serious effort to publicize the
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GICSW's environmental philosophy and actions, and to educate consumers, the
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general public, the grocery industry and the solid waste community. In all
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cases, the GICSW recommends extreme caution against overstating any facts,
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expectations or interpretations.
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The GICSW recommends that grocery manufacturers and retailers implement
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a list of specific action items as soon as possible in order to promote
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grocery industry composting.
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Composting is an important emerging solid waste management method that
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holds great promise for grocery manufacturers, retailers and communitites.
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As the cost of disposal spirals upward, and the economics of composting
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improve, composting is becoming an increasingly cost-effective means of
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controlling waste expenses.
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Composting is also a more environmentally responsible option than
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landfilling and grocery customers are constantly raising their level of
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expectations in favor of this kind of environmentally responsible behavior.
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This report should facilitate the successful implementation of new
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composting programs, and addresses policy issues that will support
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composting nationwide.
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3.0 ROLE OF THE GROCERY INDUSTRY
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Significant Portion of the Waste System
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As shown in Exhibit A, RIS estimates that 19.5 percent of the solid
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waste generated directly or indirectly by the grocery industry by weight is
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food waste. This analysis includes manufacturers and retailers, as well as
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home waste from grocery shoppers. Containers and packaging represent a
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significant portion of the waste stream, some of which is organic and can
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be composted.
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While a grocery manufacturer's compostable wastes are highly dependent
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upon the products made by that manufacturer at any given site, the
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compostable wastes from retailers are more consistent from one grocery
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store to another. Keeping regional differences in mind, grocery store
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compostable wastes include food waste, waxed and wet corrugated, bakery
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waste, dairy products, produce, floral seafood. From January through April
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1991, FMI conducted a waste composition survey, with 27 food retailers and
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wholesalers responding. The data represented in these exhibits should
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serve only as a guide as waste compostion may vary depending on store
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format and offering. The survey respondents were separated into three
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groups:
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* wholesalers (Exhibit B);
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* large supermarket chains, definded
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as having more than 50 stores (Exhibit C);
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and * small supermarket chains having 50 or fewer stores (Exhibit D).
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According to this survey, over 90 percent of the waste generated by
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each of these categories is recyclable or compostable.
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Small chains showed a large proportion of their wastes were comprised
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of food wastes (43 percent). Wholesalers reported a small fraction of food
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waste, since the wholesalers surveyed generally did not trim or process
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perishable, unpackaged food as retailers often must do.
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The small fraction of food waste (10 percent) among large chains is
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likely due to the fact that many large chains have de facto wholesale
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facilities in-house, and so the relative proportion of corrugated is
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greater. This large corrugated proportion reduces the relative proportion
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for food waste to only 10 percent. However, if dry, non-waxed corrugated
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containers (OCC) are recycled, then between 75 percent and 90 percent of
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the remaining waste is compostable food waste and paper. (This percentage
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|
fluctuates depending upon how much wet and waxed OCC is available for
|
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|
|
composting rather than recycling.) Thus, even for a "large chain" that
|
|||
|
|
generates a relatively smaller percentage of food waste, the waste actually
|
|||
|
|
being disposed is mostly compostable.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
This task force believes that the composition shown for small chains
|
|||
|
|
(Exhibit D) is most likely to represent the composition of most typical
|
|||
|
|
retail grocery stores, excluding distribution and warehousing operations.
|
|||
|
|
Accordingly, it is significant that such a large percentage-43 percent- of
|
|||
|
|
this waste is compostable food waste. From a waste management perspective,
|
|||
|
|
recycling of food waste via composting at the retail level is as important
|
|||
|
|
as recycling corrugated boxes.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
The FMI composition survey did not differentiate between recycled, wet
|
|||
|
|
or waxed corrugated. Based on a sampling of three grocery stores in 1991,
|
|||
|
|
70 percent of the corrugated containers are compostable (Exhibit E). These
|
|||
|
|
statistics enabled the task force to estimate the volume of compostable
|
|||
|
|
food waste, wet and waxed corrugated produced by grocery retailers at 6.6
|
|||
|
|
million tons per year. *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
The conclusion is that the grocery industry as a whole is a large
|
|||
|
|
producer of wastes that are potentially very compostable. The compostable
|
|||
|
|
food waste and corrugated alone from grocery stores comprise nearly 4
|
|||
|
|
percent of all municipal solid waste (MSW):
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* Retail grocery food waste, compostable wet and waxed corrugated
|
|||
|
|
/all MSW (EPA, 1990) = 6.6 million tons / 179.6 million tons =
|
|||
|
|
3.7 percent.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Financial Significance of Compostable Wastes
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Futhermore, disposal of these wastes is increasingly expensive. The
|
|||
|
|
National Solid Waste Management Association (NSWMA) has not completed its
|
|||
|
|
recent national landfill tip fee survey. However, extrapolating from the
|
|||
|
|
1988 national average tip fee to 1991 based on the recent FMI disposal
|
|||
|
|
expense survey yields an average tip fee of $58 per ton for landfills. Tip
|
|||
|
|
fees for incinerators may be significantly higher. After adding a
|
|||
|
|
conservative hauling charge of $15 per ton, grocery retailers alone are
|
|||
|
|
paying $482 million each year to dispose of their compostable wastes:
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* 6.6 million tons per year of compostable wastes X ($58/ton tip
|
|||
|
|
fee + $15/ton hauling fee) = $481.8 million/year in grocery
|
|||
|
|
retailer disposal expense.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
To cover the expense needed to pay for their $482 million per year
|
|||
|
|
disposal cost of compostable wastes, grocery retailers must, at an
|
|||
|
|
FMI-estimated pre-tax net profit rate 14.3 percent of sales, sell $33.7
|
|||
|
|
billion in groceries:
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
*$481.8 million disposal expense / 1.43 percent pre-tax net
|
|||
|
|
profit = $33.7 billion in sales.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Because individual grocery manufacturers have such product-specific
|
|||
|
|
waste streams, a similar expense for the industry overall is difficult to
|
|||
|
|
estimate. However, it is clear that, for retailers and manufacturers, the
|
|||
|
|
cost of disposal is spiraling upward. FMI documented a 26.6 percent
|
|||
|
|
increase in disposal costs for its members in 1988 and a 29.2 percent
|
|||
|
|
increase in 1989. This is undoubtedly one of the fastest growing expense
|
|||
|
|
items for manufacturers and retailers.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
It is interesting to note that by simply recycling corrugated boxes and
|
|||
|
|
composting all compostable wastes, a grocery store can reduce the amount of
|
|||
|
|
waste being landfilled by approximately by 89
|