Characteristics of organic wastes 83Case study C: Waste minimization in the food and drink industry,
East Anglia, U.K.
Waste minimization in the food and drink industry leads to many improvements
such as energy efficiency, reduction of raw material use, reduction in water
consumption and increasing reuse and recycling on site. Such improvements in
environmental performance result in the profitability of business.
The East Anglia, U.K., waste minimization in the food and drink industry
project demonstrated that waste reduction of 12 % of raw materials can be
achieved through good operating practices and this has made a significant
contribution to the company profitability by improving yields per unit output
and by reducing costs associated with waste disposal. Potentials for further
improvements through improving dialogue between producers, retailers and
consumers are being studied (Hyde et al. 2001)
2.6.5 Waste recycling
A material is “recycled” if it is used, reused, or reclaimed. Recycling through
use and/or reuse involves returning waste material either to the original process
as a substitute for an input material, or to another process as an input material.
Recycling through reclamation is the processing of a waste for recovery of a
valuable material or for regeneration. Recycling techniques may be performed
on site or at an off-site facility designed to recycle the waste. Recycling of
wastes can provide a very cost-effective waste management alternative. This
option can help eliminate waste disposal costs, reduce raw material costs, and
provide income from salable waste. The technologies described in Chapter 3-9
are mainly for waste recycling purposes.
2.7 References
AOAC (2000) Official Methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, 17th
Edition, Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Arlington, VA.
APHA, AWWA, WEF (2005) Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and
Wastewater, 21th edition, American Public Health Association, Washington, D.C.
Arifin, B. (1982) Design criteria development of septage recycling ponds, Master's thesis
no. EV-82-24, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok.
Brandes, M. (1978) "Accumulation rate and characteristics of septic tank sludge and
septage", J. Water Pollut. Control Fed., 50 , 936-943.
Brolls, E.K. and Broughton, M. (1981) "The treatment of effluents arising from the
animal by-products industry", in Food Industry Wastes: Disposal and Recovery,
(Eds. A. Herzka and R.G. Booth) pp. 184-203, Applied Science Publishers, London.
Cook, D.B. and Kalbermatten, J.M. (1982) "Prospects for resource recovery from urban
solid wastes in developing countries", in Proceedings Regional Seminar on Solid