Kellogg Co. saw the amount of waste the company sent to landfills increase last year, reversing a years-long decline.
“There is no single reason for our increase in waste to landfill in 2011; some plants continued to achieve decreases, while others saw their numbers rise, sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances,” the Battle Creek, Mich., food company said in its new corporate responsibility report.
For example, a company plant in Springs, South Africa, was forced to send all food waste to landfill following a change in local regulations. It took much of the year to find a new waste contractor with the required permits to divert the material, the company said.
Food waste that becomes animal feed makes up about 90 percent of the plant’s total waste, so landfill numbers rose significantly, impacting companywide numbers as well, Kellogg said.
Kellogg said 21,020 metric tons were sent to landfills last year, up from 19,210 metric tons in 2010.
“Even with this setback, however, our longer-term progress has been good,” the company said in its report, as waste-to-landfill numbers have dropped by 44% per metric ton of food produced since 2005.
“Our long-term vision is to send zero waste to landfill, and we are continuing to work toward that goal companywide,” the company said in the report.
Source: Waste & Recycling News
By Jim Johnson