"Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else."
Our teams around the globe have been working hard to eliminate waste from our operations while also seeking means to sustainably and beneficially use materials that no longer have value to us, but can add value for our wider community.
As we look ahead to ‘Earth Day’ 2021, let’s check out some examples of how our colleagues have made changes to reach our 2020 landfill target and establishing partnerships so we may beneficially use 100% of our waste by 2030.
Organic matter making renewable energy
The team in Tate & Lyle’s facility in Lafayette Sagamore, Indiana (US), established a partnership with a local agribusiness, Bio Town Ag, which enables the site and our neighbouring facility in Lafayette South to beneficially use most of the organic matter left over from their production processes. This beneficial use includes composting and feeding the farm’s anaerobic digester which breaks our organic matter down in an oxygen-free tank to create biogas, a renewable fuel to power the farm and local community.
Finding a beneficial use for all things
Tate & Lyle’s blending facility in Mold, Wales (UK), sends zero waste to landfill, having found a beneficial use for each of its waste streams, from general to production waste. For instance, general waste is collected in a 35m³ compactor and taken to a waste recycling centre. Here it is sorted into recyclable and non-recyclable material. Any non-recyclable material is cubed into 30cm blocks, which are used as fuel by a power station in the nearby town of Runcorn.
Reclaiming valuable nutrients to feed animals
Our team at Loudon, Tennessee (US), changed how they manage the material left over after corn has been processed to extract the parts of the kernel used to make food ingredients and industrial products. By installing a press, the Loudon facility was able to reclaim valuable nutrients for the company’s animal feed co-products from organic solids unused in its process. This change minimised the facility’s landfill impact by almost 40%, while cutting costs and adding value to customers.
Find out more about our environmental commitments here
Our purpose
Our purpose of Transforming Lives Through the Science of Food guides every action we take and every decision we make. Learn about the three pillars of our purpose.