377 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
377 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
|
|
ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
|
|
ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜ ßÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜÛÛÝ Ûß
|
|
ßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÞÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßßÛÜÞÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÞß
|
|
Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
|
|
ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
|
|
ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
|
|
ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
|
|
ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
|
|
ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
|
|
ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
|
|
ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
|
|
ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
|
|
ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
|
|
ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
|
|
|
|
Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
|
|
[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Composting and the ]
|
|
[x]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [Crocery Industry ]
|
|
[ ]11-12 [x]Essay/Report [ ]
|
|
[ ]College [ ]Misc [ ]
|
|
|
|
Dizzed: 10/94 # of Words:2465 School: ? State: ?
|
|
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
|
|
|
|
COMPOSTING AND THE GROCERY INDUSTRY
|
|
|
|
The following bulletin was prepared from Grocery Industry Committee
|
|
on Solid Waste
|
|
October 24, 1991
|
|
|
|
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
|
|
|
|
Solid waste composting is an important component of an integrated
|
|
solution for solid waste management. Composting can divert
|
|
organic, compostable materials, not otherwise recycled, from the
|
|
solid waste stream and convert them into a useful product.
|
|
Composting is environmentally sound, technically and economically
|
|
feasible and meets local waste management needs.
|
|
|
|
This report, from the Grocery Compost Task Force to the Grocery
|
|
Industry Committee on Solid Waste (GICSW), is intended to establish
|
|
composting as a viable and sustainable component of an integrated
|
|
|
|
|
|
solution for solid waste management. To do this the industry
|
|
supports the development of composting systems for grocery
|
|
manufacturers and retailers, and the development of the supporting
|
|
infrastructure. Composting can handle from 30 to 60 percent of all
|
|
municipal solid waste, including food waste, yard waste and paper
|
|
and paperboard waste.
|
|
|
|
The grocery industry is committed to a high level of product
|
|
stewardship. This commitment includes the environmentally sound
|
|
management of wastes generated at the retail levl as well as wastes
|
|
from grocery products after they have been sold and used by
|
|
consumers. Much of this waste is organic in nature and landfilled.
|
|
|
|
From a product stewardship perspective the grocery industry
|
|
believes that composting is a more environmentally sound management
|
|
practice than disposal for managing these wastes. While single
|
|
stream and segregated stream composting may be more readily
|
|
available for many manufacturers' and retailers' own waste, MSW
|
|
composting is an attractive alternative for waste created by
|
|
consumers.
|
|
|
|
This report focuses on grocery retailer composting programs, but
|
|
will also address goals and programs for manufacturers.
|
|
|
|
Food waste plus wet and waxed corrugated from retailers alone
|
|
accounts for 6.6 million tons per year of waste that could be
|
|
composted rather than discarded, which is nearly 4 percent of all
|
|
municipal solid waste (MSW). Disposal of those wastes costs the
|
|
grocery retailers $482 million per year, eating up the pre-tax
|
|
profits from $34 billion of grocery retail sales.
|
|
|
|
All food waste produced directly by manufacturers and retailers, as
|
|
well as home food waste produced by grocer shoppers, comprises
|
|
nearly 20 percent of the entire grocery industry's wastes. On a
|
|
store level, over 90 percent of the solid waste is deemed by this
|
|
task force to be most representative of a "typical" store, produce
|
|
43 percent of their waste as food waste. Almost all corrugated is
|
|
recyclable or compostable. 30 percent of the corrugated produced
|
|
by a grocery store is either wet or waxed, precluding its
|
|
recyclabiliy.
|
|
|
|
Composting can achieve important benefits for the grocery industry
|
|
including:
|
|
|
|
1. Meeting the demands of grocery customers who are demanding more
|
|
environmentally sound and responsible ways of managing solid waste;
|
|
2. Proactively controlling waste disposal tonnage and expenses;
|
|
3. Supporting governmental initiatives for landfill diversion and
|
|
material recovery;
|
|
4. Encouraging recycling of other materials; and
|
|
5. Making the best use of natural and man-made resources by
|
|
converting organic waste into compost instead of landfilling them.
|
|
|
|
Each grocery industry facility should evaluate how best to handle
|
|
its compostable waste. As detailed in the report, there are
|
|
several possible approaches to handle mixed organics from the solid
|
|
waste stream. Regardless of the approach, it is important for the
|
|
industry to help establish a composting infrastructure. Market
|
|
development is a key element of this infrastructure and the grocery
|
|
industry supports market development initiatives.
|
|
|
|
Depending upon the compost program, compost processors may require
|
|
or prefer source-separated homogeneous food wastes to obtain
|
|
maximum control over end-product quality. Source-separated
|
|
materials may have greater value to the end user because of the
|
|
densification and readiness for processing, and therefore may lead
|
|
to lowest collection and processing costs for the generator.
|
|
|
|
For grocery retailers, this report focuses on segregated stream
|
|
composting. Because the industry can generate a source-separated
|
|
product, free of harmful wastes and relatively free of inert
|
|
materials, it can easily be integrated into whichever composting
|
|
program is most likely to be available locally.
|
|
|
|
This report explains the various ways to handle, collect, transport
|
|
and process grocery store wastes for composting. In general, the
|
|
GICW recommentds:
|
|
|
|
* Collection of compostables in dedicated barrels;
|
|
* Pickup and transportation of the compostables either by
|
|
loading barrels into a truck or by emptying the barrels into a
|
|
dedicated dumpster or compactor for collection by a hauler;
|
|
* Composting at the best locally available site; and
|
|
* Careful training of store employees to maximize participation
|
|
and minimize contamination.
|
|
|
|
Several specific recommendations addressing issues such as economic
|
|
analysis, health issues, facility flexibility and recommended
|
|
implementation steps are included.
|
|
|
|
This report also discusses Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) composting.
|
|
MSW composting, as described here, refers to the composting of
|
|
residential and commercial separated mixed organic waste, with the
|
|
recyclables and other noncompostable materials removed. Separation
|
|
may occur at curbside or the waste may not be transported by
|
|
conventional waste vehicles to a central site for the site
|
|
separation of compostable materials from noncompostable materials.
|
|
There are 15 MSW composting facilities currently available in the
|
|
U. S. Another 150 are in various stages of planning or development
|
|
(a new MSW facility can take 3-4 years to site, build and become
|
|
operational). Where they do exist, they should be considered by
|
|
grocers for composting. The availability of an organic fraction
|
|
from the grocery industry will be added impetus for development of
|
|
community based facilities.
|
|
|
|
The mixed organics method of collecting compostables should require
|
|
little or no change in supermarket operating methods since material
|
|
separation is accomplished on the other end by the receiver or end
|
|
user.
|
|
|
|
All composting facilities need to use the best technology available
|
|
to ensure production of compost that is safe and marketable.
|
|
Attention must be given to the separation of compostable materials
|
|
from recyclables and noncompostable waste.
|
|
|
|
Many state and local governments, federal government through EPA
|
|
and the Solid Waste Composting Council (SWCC) are addressing
|
|
composting. In addition, composting. The GICSW should work with
|
|
these entities toward the common goal of developing composting as
|
|
a viable solid waste management tool.
|
|
|
|
In order to develop end markets, the grocery industry should
|
|
demonstrate and confirm the beneficial use of compost and
|
|
aggressively promote the marketing of the product, specifically to
|
|
known end users. Product standards and end markets for compost are
|
|
in the early stages of development. Standards for end-product
|
|
quality do not exist on a federal level but are beginning to be
|
|
promulgated on a state-by-state basis. Currently market
|
|
development is planned or in progress in 11 states. The GICSW
|
|
should become involved in market development, establishing science-
|
|
based standards, ensuring product quality, establishing pilot
|
|
programs and supporting compost legislation. Specifically, the
|
|
GICSW can play a role in opening new outlets for compost in the
|
|
agricultural community.
|
|
|
|
The industry should move towards setting and measuring attainment
|
|
of goals to support the development of composting, such as:
|
|
|
|
* The production of recyclable and/or compostable consumer
|
|
packaging.
|
|
* The recovery, through composting, of an annually escalating
|
|
proportion of manufacturer and retailer wastes.
|
|
* The recovery, through composting, of an annually escalating
|
|
proportion of consumer wastes
|
|
The grocery industry should make a serious effort to publicize the
|
|
GICSW's environmental philosophy and actions, and to educate
|
|
consumers, the general public, the grocery industry and the solid
|
|
waste community. In all cases, the GICSW recommends extreme
|
|
caution against overstating any facts, expectations or
|
|
interpretations.
|
|
|
|
The GICSW recommends that grocery manufacturers and retailers
|
|
implement a list of specific action items as soon as possible in
|
|
order to promote grocery industry composting.
|
|
|
|
Composting is an important emerging solid waste management method
|
|
that holds great promise for grocery manufacturers, retailers and
|
|
communitites. As the cost of disposal spirals upward, and the
|
|
economics of composting improve, composting is becoming an
|
|
increasingly cost-effective means of controlling waste expenses.
|
|
|
|
Composting is also a more environmentally responsible option than
|
|
landfilling and grocery customers are constantly raising their
|
|
level of expectations in favor of this kind of environmentally
|
|
responsible behavior.
|
|
|
|
This report should facilitate the successful implementation of new
|
|
composting programs, and addresses policy issues that will support
|
|
composting nationwide.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.0 ROLE OF THE GROCERY INDUSTRY
|
|
|
|
Significant Portion of the Waste System
|
|
|
|
As shown in Exhibit A, RIS estimates that 19.5 percent of the solid
|
|
waste generated directly or indirectly by the grocery industry by
|
|
weight is food waste. This analysis includes manufacturers and
|
|
retailers, as well as home waste from grocery shoppers. Containers
|
|
and packaging represent a significant portion of the waste stream,
|
|
some of which is organic and can be composted.
|
|
|
|
|
|
While a grocery manufacturer's compostable wastes are highly
|
|
dependent upon the products made by that manufacturer at any given
|
|
site, the compostable wastes from retailers are more consistent
|
|
from one grocery store to another. Keeping regional differences in
|
|
mind, grocery store compostable wastes include food waste, waxed
|
|
and wet corrugated, bakery waste, dairy products, produce, floral
|
|
seafood.
|
|
From January through April 1991, FMI conducted a waste composition
|
|
survey, with 27 food retailers and wholesalers responding. The
|
|
data represented in these exhibits should serve only as a guide as
|
|
waste compostion may vary depending on store format and offering.
|
|
The survey respondents were separated into three groups:
|
|
* wholesalers (Exhibit B);
|
|
* large supermarket chains, definded as having more than 50
|
|
stores (Exhibit C); and
|
|
* small supermarket chains having 50 or fewer stores (Exhibit
|
|
D).
|
|
|
|
|
|
According to this survey, over 90 percent of the waste generated by
|
|
each of these categories is recyclable or compostable.
|
|
|
|
Small chains showed a large proportion of their wastes were
|
|
comprised of food wastes (43 percent). Wholesalers reported a
|
|
small fraction of food waste, since the wholesalers surveyed
|
|
generally did not trim or process perishable, unpackaged food as
|
|
retailers often must do.
|
|
|
|
The small fraction of food waste (10 percent) among large chains is
|
|
likely due to the fact that many large chains have de facto
|
|
wholesale facilities in-house, and so the relative proportion of
|
|
corrugated is greater. This large corrugated proportion reduces
|
|
the relative proportion for food waste to only 10 percent.
|
|
However, if dry, non-waxed corrugated containers (OCC) are
|
|
recycled, then between 75 percent and 90 percent of the remaining
|
|
waste is compostable food waste and paper. (This percentage
|
|
fluctuates depending upon how much wet and waxed OCC is available
|
|
for 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 percent
|
|
(Exhibit D).
|
|
|
|
The Composting Option
|
|
|
|
Composting grocery store waste is an attractive option since this
|
|
waste is consistent in quality and quantity. These materials
|
|
compost readily and are especially effective when co-composted into
|
|
existing programs with yard waste, wood waste, manure, with other
|
|
clean corrugated. However, they are compostable and can provice
|
|
necessary bulk to the composting process.
|
|
|
|
By supporting and participationg in local composting operations,
|
|
the industry can serve to encourage broad-based development of
|
|
composting as an integral part of local solid waste management.
|
|
Initially, pilot projects could serve as working examples that
|
|
composting can be accomplished successfully in order to reduce the
|
|
landfilling of grocery industry wastes.
|
|
|
|
While grocery manufacturer and retailer wastes may be composted in
|
|
a segregated stream process, MSW composting is an important option
|
|
for the wider range of organic materials that are produced by other
|
|
businesses and by grocery consumers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.0 GROCERY INDUSTRY OBJECTIVES
|
|
|
|
The grocery industry can set an example for the community by
|
|
practicing sound recycling and composting activities. Some
|
|
significant objectives that the grocery industry can achieve by
|
|
composting are:
|
|
|
|
1. Meeting demands of grocery consumers that stores and
|
|
manufacturers be environmentally responsible;
|
|
2. Proactively controlling waste disposal tonnage and disposal
|
|
expenses, which are increasing rapidly;
|
|
3. Supporting EPA, state and local government initiatives for
|
|
landfill diversion and material recovery;
|
|
4. Encouraging and enhancing recycling of other recyclable
|
|
materials, such as plastic, wood, glass and metal through improved
|
|
separation; and
|
|
5. Making the best use of natural and man-made resources by
|
|
converting organic waste into compost instead of landfilling them.
|
|
|
|
Downloaded from Recycling: America BBS (818) 902-1477
|