Turning waste into resource
In case you missed it, we’ve been talking a lot recently about our new ER model – a compact, mobile depackaging machine designed with farmers and food manufacturers in mind. It aims to enable out of spec produce, over demand, or other surplus produce to be depackaged on site, reducing the costs associated with outsourcing your waste, and creating a potential valuable resource that can be used as AD feedstock or animal feed.
We knew it made sense, but the proof as they say is always in the pudding, and we’re therefore delighted to have recently helped a UK-based producer, importer, and packager of soft fruits to make a significant impact on their business.
The challenge
Like many fresh produce businesses, the company regularly handle packaged fruit products that are unable to enter the retail supply chain due to being out of spec, damage, over-demand or shelf-life limitations.
Previously, this waste material was transported off site for third-party processing. This included depackaging – meaning transportation off site was bulkier and depackaging was part of the waste processing that needed to be paid for. Transport and disposal costs were higher than they needed to be, environmental impacts from increased haulage felt uncomfortable, and operationally the process was inefficient.
A more sustainable and cost-effective solution was needed which could be operated directly at our client’s facility.
The solution
We were contacted and asked to supply a Dominator ER1800 after its recent publicity in Farmer’s Weekly. It’s compact footprint, mobility, and ability to process packaged food waste efficiently on site
The ER1800 separates organic material from its packaging, producing a clean organic fraction suitable for anaerobic digestion while significantly reducing the volume of residual waste requiring disposal.
Its mobile design enabled the machine to be integrated easily into the existing set up without any major infrastructure changes, as well as being able to be transported between multiple sites as required.
The results? Reduced transportation, lower waste management costs and creation of a valuable resource
By depackaging material on site, the business reduced the volume of waste requiring transport to approximately one sixth of previous levels. This significantly lowered, transport cost, vehicle movements and associated carbon emissions.
Instead of paying for mixed packaged waste to be processed externally, the company now separates the organic fraction at source — reducing disposal costs, and the processed organic output is now sold as feedstock for anaerobic digestion, transforming what was previously a waste liability into a revenue-generating by-product.
A smarter approach to waste produce
The implementation of the Dominator ER1800 demonstrates how food manufacturers and packagers can take greater control of waste management while improving both profitability and sustainability. And quickly. Contacted on the Thursday, we had the machine delivered by the Monday.
So, if you grow or manufacture food and have waste produce to manage, think before you outsource. It’s time to take control, and compact mobile depackaging systems like the ER1800 offer a practical route toward more efficient and circular waste management.