Problematic Waste Streams

We’ve seen all sorts of interesting waste problems here at Gegan, and we wanted to let you know about three of the most problematic waste streams, and how we handled them.

Plastic contaminated with food

One customer we worked with had approximately 10 tonnes a week of plastic contaminated with food that had previously been sent to an AD facility for processing. This waste was now unable to be processed by the AD facility, and they were left with two options; sending the material for incineration or being put into a landfill. They, as well as their contracted client, weren’t happy with these options so they came to us to find a more environmentally friendly solution. We found a solution where the plastic is hot washed to remove all organic contaminates. This meant the plastic was in a condition that could be recycled and reused. All the organics from the plastic were then captured and sent to a local Anaerobic Digestion facility and turned into a clean energy source, avoiding harmful chemicals and pollutants from being released into the Earth.

Liquid waste with a fishy twist

Another customer we worked with to combat a problematic waste stream had approximately 20 tonnes a week of liquid waste from a fish processing factory that had previously been very costly to process. Unfortunately, although it cost them a lot to process the liquid waste, their previous waste management service provider had become increasingly unreliable causing extremely frustrating and avoidable downtimes for their production processes. The client contacted Gegan to find a more reliable and cost-efficient solution. After an extensive site inspection, we identified that the wastewater contained fish oils that, if processed correctly would provide the client with a saleable commodity that would offset much of the disposal cost. After sending samples for analysis, we were proven right. We were then able to arrange for the installation of a system that would allow for the oils to be collected from the wastewater before its disposal. By implementing our solution, the client was able to reduce their disposal costs by around £60,000 per year.

Cut the miles and keep it clean

We had another customer with a plastic contaminated with food problematic waste stream. This customer had approximately 10 tonnes of waste a week that was being incinerated, but they weren’t happy with this, so they came to us to find a more environmentally friendly solution. We had to not only ensure that none of the waste went to landfill or incineration, but we also wanted to reduce their carbon miles when moving waste. Their waste was moving 35 miles to a disposal site, producing an estimated 55.35kg of CO2. We found a solution where the plastic was hot washed and all organic contaminates were removed and the plastic was able to be recycled and reused. All the organics from the plastic were then captured and sent to a local Anaerobic Digestion facility and turned into a clean energy source. Our solution was located 9 miles from the site which produces an estimated 14.29kg of CO2. Based solely on carbon mile reduction our solution gave the customer a reduction of 2,135.12kg per year of CO2 and saved time as they didn’t have to travel as far.

These are just a few of the ways we help our customers and help the environment – so it’s truly a win-win situation.