Organic waste is biodegradable waste that has been grown, such as waste fruit and vegetables, or was formerly part of an animal, such as waste sausages. If organic waste is not managed properly, it can generate substantial expenses and problems for food producers, food merchants, cafés, restaurants, hotels, and other firms in the food and beverage and hospitality industries.
Food waste degrades quickly and smells, becoming a breeding ground for bacteria and attracting pests. As a result, you are likely to face legal, economic, and stakeholder pressure to efficiently handle organic waste.
This article describes how food and beverage producers and hospitality firms can benefit from good organic waste management by recycling organic waste, looking into composting organic waste solutions, and seeking to produce less organic waste.
Advantages of organic waste management
Organic waste management allows food and beverage producers and hospitality businesses to reduce organic waste disposal to landfill. As a result, your company is better able to deal with legal, economic, shareholder, and media challenges.
Legal pressures on organic waste
Effective organic waste management will assist you in meeting regulatory obligations such as animal by-product and landfill laws.
Controls on waste disposed of in landfills are becoming more stringent. Certain wastes, particularly liquid wastes, are now prohibited. As part of your duty of care for business trash, you or your waste provider must also treat all waste before it is disposed of.
Economic pressures on organic waste
Reduce the quantity of organic trash you send to the dump to save money because food waste gets a higher landfill tax. The disposal of mixed trash into landfills is becoming less economically viable due to:
increases in the landfill tax on an annual basis;
greater charges by operators to cover the costs of tougher rules governing landfill construction and operation;
the necessity to treat waste before it is disposed of in a landfill.
Pressures from organic waste stakeholders
The environment is becoming a more essential aspect of corporate and society agendas. Environmental performance and societal responsibility are becoming more essential issues in attracting and retaining new customers. Customers, investors, suppliers, the media, and other stakeholders are increasingly expecting businesses to demonstrate a commitment to waste minimization and management.
How should organic waste be recycled?
After you’ve established strategies to reduce and reuse organic waste, the next step is to recycle any remaining organic waste. This frequently necessitates the separation of various forms of waste.
Organic waste is not usually welcomed by waste management companies for the following reasons:
Wet wastes, such as food waste, are prone to decompose and can emit odors.
Wet waste poses a significant contamination risk, particularly to water.
Natural deterioration may cause landfill instability.
The uncontrolled production of landfill gas is dangerous to the environment.
Transportation can be pricey.
However, there are a number of relatively simple methods for treating organic waste for recycling. Organic waste treatment on-site can significantly and quickly cut waste material and disposal costs. Organic waste, when properly managed, can be converted into a valuable resource such as compost, electricity, or fertilizer.
However, if your company produces food or provides catering, you cannot risk introducing microbiological risks or odors. As a result, on-site solutions must be both safe and’biosecure,’ preventing biological contamination and the transmission of infectious organisms.
Conclusion
There are large expenses associated with any method of disposal, as well as serious fines for being misinformed, thus contemporary treatment, recycling, and waste minimization can provide actual financial benefits.