Waste management at Simplot’s food plants can be challenging. And that provides great opportunities to find creative, innovative solutions!
Simplot’s Global Food facility in Mendoza, Argentina was recently honored by the local government for its commitment to safeguarding the environment and for sustainable waste management practices. The Mendoza facility previously participated in the local government’s sustainability award program, The “Sello Luján Sustentable,” or Sustainable Lujan Seal award, but this year was their first to be among the top 5 most sustainable companies in the Lujan de Cuyo region – an area outside Mendoza.
Plastic bags and strips destined for life as a new product
This award is especially meaningful because waste management can be a particular challenge in smaller, more remote locations like Mendoza; in general, it is harder to find outlets for handling Simplot’s various waste streams in these areas. The Mendoza site did not let that deter them, though! Instead, they innovated to find some unique ways to handle, store, recycle and repurpose the waste materials coming out of the facility.
To start, the team purchased a waste compactor to crush cardboard into cubes that are easier to handle. This allows more efficient storage and transportation of the material, including the ability to send more waste in one pick up. The facility also added two storage units to their waste staging area to shield materials from the elements while awaiting disposal. The units also help keep the area clean and tidy.
Storage containers help keep the waste staging area tidy
Then, the waste team at Mendoza found a vendor that was able to manage a difficult-to-recycle waste stream: plastic packaging contaminated with food processing oils. Previously, this material ended up in the landfill because the plastic wasn’t recyclable when coated in oil. The new vendor uses a chemical process to remove the oily film and finds a new use for the now-clean plastic packaging. And there’s another benefit of this new process: This challenging waste stream is common to many of Simplot’s Global Food facilities, meaning this solution from Mendoza could be viable at other plants depending on capabilities of waste haulers in the area.
Finally, Mendoza demonstrated Simplot’s Core Value of Passion for People by partnering with a local correctional facility as part of the plant’s waste management program. Instead of recycling plastic strips and bags in a “traditional” way, Mendoza sent them to the correctional facility for inmates to use to create cool new reusable plastic bags. By braiding together the waste materials received from the Simplot plant, the inmates turned the problem of waste into a useful, sustainable product! This creative approach is yet another solution that could be expanded to other Simplot plants; we need to responsibly dispose of plastics in all conditions at all our facilities.
The hard work and innovation of the Mendoza team has paid off in another very important ways as well. The site met Simplot’s Global Food waste target of zero waste to landfill well ahead of our goal date of 2030!
