Zero-waste from our breweries is now becoming a possibility.
Over 75% of our waste consists of organic by-products from the brewing process including spent grains, waste yeast and trub (a residual sludge from the process). The remainder is made up of broken glass from packaging, paper and labels, cartons and cardboard, kieselguhr (a filtration medium), broken crates and other plastic waste, metal bindings and bottle caps, effluent sludge from waste water treatment and boiler ash from the combustion of coal. We also produce a small amount of hazardous waste, the exact definition of which depends on local laws but which might typically include waste oils, fluorescent light bulbs and certain batteries.
By reducing the amount of waste requiring disposal we reduce our costs and our environmental burden – especially important in countries with less developed waste management services.
The first step is to make better use of the raw materials we purchase and reduce the amount of waste we create. We have made some progress in this area. For example, in partnership with our suppliers in Honduras, we have switched to reusable containers for the delivery of our crown caps and PET pre-forms, while sugar from our sugar mill is now being delivered in one tonne returnable bags.
Waste as a resource
For any waste that we do produce, we actively seek out markets for the reuse or recycling of the material. We are proud of the high level of recycling/reuse we are achieving in some of our operations – six now report rates of over 99%. This is largely down to hard work and innovative thinking at a plant level in identifying alternative markets for materials and developing partnerships with suppliers and local businesses. Across the group as a whole, we recycle or reuse 96% of the waste we produce.
Our waste is a potential resource, whether it is keiselguhr for use in cement or compost, organic waste for animal feed, boiler ash used in road repairs or cullet being turned into new glass bottles. We use wastewater to generate energy and produce a fertiliser for agriculture. In India we are using waste rice husks as fuel and in some countries we are investigating spent grains as a possible future energy source.
Finally, we must aim to ensure that anything requiring disposal is dealt with in a safe, responsible and legal way.