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UK Eyes Pollution Rules for Food and Drink Industry

The United Kingdom’s Environment Agency has published its proposal for the first ever integrated pollution regulations for the second largest producer of waste -- the food and drink industry. The rule would affect nearly 1,100 facilities. Read More

The United Kingdom’s Environment Agency has published its proposal for the first ever integrated pollution regulations for the second largest producer of waste — the food and drink industry. The rule would affect nearly 1,100 facilities.

A recent survey commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) shows that, in 1999, the food and drink industry spent more on implementing environmental controls than any other sector, mainly on cleaner technology rather than emissions abatement, totaling £662 million. However, the sector has not previously been subject to integrated environmental legislation or concepts such as “best available techniques.”

According to Martin Brocklehurst, Environment Agency’s Head of Environment Protection, food production is big business, amounting to 18% of the GDP, and the second largest producer of waste in the country.

“Looking at best practice it is clear that good environmental practice and good business are two sides of the same coin. This technical guidance looks to promote areas where an operator can improve their environmental performance and make cost savings through measures such as waste minimization. The overall aim is to reduce the environmental impact of the food and drink industry,” Brocklehurst said.

Characteristics of the food and drink marketplace include:

  • an increasingly sophisticated and demanding consumer base;
  • shorter product lifetimes resulting in the requirement to change production lines more frequently;
  • a continuously decreasing time between product conception and delivery to the customers; and
  • natural raw materials which, by their nature, are more variable than materials used in other sectors.

The industry’s nature of rapid change results in instability, which leads to a potential reluctance to invest in large abatement equipment.

The food and drink sector is a significant consumer of water for consumption, cleaning, and as a means of conveyance for products. Measures to optimize water use help mitigate pollution, as most processes generate wastewater.

According to the Environment Agency, spills and leaks into the water environment from food and drink production facilities can be serious due to the high oxygen demand of many materials used.

Other important issues for the industry include energy, of which the sector is a major user; the food and drink sector is expected to enter into a Climate Change Levy Agreement with the Government. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and odors emitted by processes such as cooking and drying are inherent within the industry, and emissions of dust and particulates can also occur from activities such as mixing, grinding and milling.

Although an assessment of the key issues for the food and drink sector indicates that there are no areas where there is a fundamental clash between environmental practice and good business practice, the implementation of pollution prevention and control measures will not always result in cost savings for companies, the Environment Agency said.

The new consultation document is intended by the Environment Agency as interim guidance prior to the publication of a BAT reference document in 2003, with further guidance notes for specific techniques within the sector being produced in the meantime.

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