​​Zero Waste: What It Means, How to Implement It, and How to Track It

MBAA TQ https://doi.org/10.1094/TQ-57-4-1109-01 | ​VIEW ARTICLE
Leah Cooper (1) and Andrew Dagnan (2). 1. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Mills River, NC 28732, U.S.A. 2. Wicked Weed Brewing, Candler, NC 28715, U.S.A.​
 
Abstract
The Zero Waste International Alliance defines “zero waste” as “the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health” (http://​zwia.org/zero-waste-definition/​). Implementing a zero waste program goes beyond simply setting out a few recycling containers to recycle plastic bottles and office paper. Implementing a comprehensive zero waste program means shifting the culture to truly follow the well-known logic that is reduce, reuse, and recycle. In a br​ewery, this means empowering employees to drive change, focusing on reduction and reusing items or equipment to achieve the highest waste diversion rate possible.