Source Reduction

Several technologies can be used in the food manufacturing industry to reduce waste at the source. As a cautionary note, the mentioned technologies can require changes such as the addition of new tools, a change in schedules, and training for employees. These technologies include:

Toxic Substance Use Reduction

• Dry ice cleaning is a non-abrasive, nontoxic method that leaves no secondary waste and eliminates the need to scrub, manually reducing water use and chemicals. This technology can be used to clean-in-place, resulting in cost savings, productivity, and worker safety.
• Other hygienic alternatives that reduce toxic substances should be considered, such as sanitizing with ozone2 or dry steam3 and disinfecting surfaces with ultraviolet. 

Energy Conservation

• High hydrostatic pressure(HHP) is a non-thermal technology that kills bacteria without the use of chemicals. It is useful in the dairy industry.
• Cold Plasma - an emerging (also nonthermal) technology that uses energetic, reactive gases to inactivate contaminating microbes in many foods, including meats, fruits, and vegetables.

Hazardous Waste Reduction

• Deep-UV-C light-emitting diodes (DUV-LEDs) are a developing technology that replaces mercury lamps when inactivating organisms. The advantages include eliminating the potential for mercury leakage, a greater lifespan, and significant energy conservation. Visit EPA’s Safer Choice program for more information concerning alternative options to widely used chemical products.

Additionally, see the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program's TRI Pollution Prevention Profile: Food Manufacturing to learn about food manufacturing facilities that reported to TRI and to find information on source reduction activities for toxic chemicals.

Water Conservation

Water is an essential substance in the food manufacturing industry. Not only is it used as an ingredient in food, but it is also used to clean and process products. Water conservation at your food manufacturing facility can be achieved by:

Dry cleaning-up: Use brooms, scrapers, and vacuum systems instead of water or high-pressure hoses to clean floors and equipment.

Looking into a closed-loop system to reuse process wastewater in other areas such as cooling purposes.

• Conducting general housekeeping such as fixing leaky valves, faucets, and toilets and maintaining a detailed maintenance schedule for water lines.
• Consider investing in a wastewater treatment unit that can enable water recycling at the facility by treating process water and reusing it.
• Upgrading areas where employee activity can impact water use, such as bathrooms, break rooms, and kitchens. Minor changes like aerators and dual flush toilets can save the company significant water.
• Consider using lean practices to help you address water use at your facility by finding water waste on the manufacturing floor. 

See EPA’s Lean and Water Toolkit for more information.

Additional Information

To learn more about water conservation, visit EPA’s WaterSense to identify best management practices to help your facility use water efficiently.

Other Ways to Reduce Energy

Energy conservation at a food manufacturing facility can be achieved through maintenance, upgrades, and replacement of small and large equipment.

Other activities include:


• Conducting an energy audit at your facility to identify areas or processes that waste energy.

• Improving building lighting, such as replacing current lighting with light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, can significantly lower one's energy bill.

• Efficient Process Control — The Use of advanced techniques to control specific portions of the manufacturing process to reduce waste and increase productivity (e.g., Variable Frequency Drives for pumps).

• Replacing old machinery with more efficient models can save electricity costs. To ensure efficiencies stay high, implement strict preventative maintenance on the new machinery.

See Energy Star’s Focus on Energy Efficiency in Food Processing to learn how to improve manufacturing, use energy efficiently, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at your facility. For a more specific look into energy-saving strategies for food manufacturing, see Energy Star's Food Processing.

If refrigeration is used at your food manufacturing facility, preventative maintenance of ammonia-based refrigeration systems reduces accidents and prevents pollution.

Check out EPA’s Green Chill Partnership, which is specific to food retailers but has helpful information for all organizations using refrigeration. There, you can find fact sheets, tools and calculators, guidelines, and information on alternative technologies.

P2 Practices

P2 practices that contribute to reducing waste at the source include:

• Setting up baselines and goals and comparing them with the performance of other companies to identify improvement opportunities.
• Setting up budgets and deadlines for achieving process changes and getting equipment replacements or upgrades accomplished.
• Minimizing raw material waste by practicing good inventory practices, sharing excess materials with sister companies, or donating to trade colleges or non-profit organizations.
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing supply chain efficiency can improve logistic operations. For more information about sustainable transportation, see the EPA's SmartWay program. 
• Reducing food waste in food manufacturing by donating to organizations fighting hunger or farms feeding animals, composting food, or using scraps for anaerobic digestion.

Employee Education

Change employee behavior by embracing sustainability at the facility. Develop a P2 training program to educate employees on the benefits of continuous improvement and source reduction (less generation of pollutants). Incentivize waste reduction and P2 efforts by offering gift cards or recognizing employees who provide suggestions. Appoint a go-to person to be in charge of maintaining and advocating a P2 program. Allocate a budget to the P2 program to obtain the necessary tools and equipment for P2 goals.

Lay maximum emphasis on source reduction, followed by reuse and recycling when no source reduction opportunities exist. Treatment and disposal of waste should be the least preferred action. Develop goals with measurable and attainable objectives. Encourage good practices like identifying and voicing ideas for improvement and reporting leaks and spills. Allow employees to participate in water and energy conservation and reduce pollution whenever feasible.