Probably the best waste-prevention in...

• Major brewery takes steps to prevent and redirect waste more effectively
• As a result it diverts 263 tonnes of waste and saves ~€ 231 927 per annum

Waste in the brewing industry can be created at numerous stages of the malting processing. Useful materials may be lost through poorly designed equipment and ingredient handling. Carlsberg, a top beer brewer, adopted several practices to reduce the volume and cost of malt waste at its UK processing plants. 

The company modified its 'rejection system' which discards impurities, started selling rejected malt for animal feed rather than paying for the waste to be removed for energy recovery alone, and it modified its intermediate bulk containers so that all liquid is better utilised.

Key results

By making these adjustments, the company managed to divert 263 tonnes of waste and save £ 206 000 (~€ 231 927) per annum. 

Guidelines by WRAP include checklists for waste prevention in brewing and soft drinks manufacture. These tips can help drinks companies take further action to reduce waste by highlighting hot spots and typical problem areas.