Monster Grinder cuts $78,000 from energy costs

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Monster Grinder cuts $78,000 from energy costs
Case Study: Monster Grinder cuts $78,000 from energy costs

Built in 1977, the Santa Margarita reclaimed water facility was initially intended to provide water for landscape irrigation in the district. During a typical 12-month period today, the facility brings in 680 million gallons of sewage and sends out 620 gallons of reclaimed water. But starting in about 2012, the pumps would begin to lose efficiency as the wipes loading increased. All pumps, including standbys, would have to run to maintain plant production. Once they reached 60 Hz the plant would need to shut down to derag the pumps.

“This upgrade cost significantly less than purchasing a whole new set of pumps,” says Ron Johnson, facilities supervisor for the SMWD facility.

Learn why Johnson agrees with most when he says,”Our choice to go with a new Channel Monster, to me, is priceless.” Read the full case study here.

3-SHRED Puts Food Waste in Its Place at Freddie Mac

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Case Study: 3-SHRED Puts Food Waste in Its Place at Freddie Mac

Sustainable Food Waste Solution for Headquarters Cafeteria

Case Study: 3-SHRED Puts Food Waste in Its Place at Freddie Mac

Managing a commercial food service program is no easy feat, particularly when it comes to food waste disposal. The amount of both organic and inorganic waste to sort and divert can be daunting and meticulous, and some commercial kitchens and restaurants simply don’t bother. According to a survey done by Sustainable Food Service Consulting, 50-75% of the material that ends up in a landfill is either compostable or recyclable. By properly sorting and disposing of that waste, food service managers can cut down on operational costs and reduce disposal fees.

Guido Boers, the manager of the food service program at the Freddie Mac headquarters in McLean, Virginia, was encountering this very problem last year. “Guests to the cafeteria were dropping off their soiled food containers at the tray return conveyor,” says Boers. “The to-go containers, which are made from a compostable material, were in most cases still containing some organic food waste. We couldn’t dispose of the bulky containers through the trash since, at that volume, the amount of waste was overwhelming and costly.”

Boers and his team conducted a waste audit and looked at how the cafeteria’s practices were affecting the amount of garbage being produced on-site. They decided that a solution was needed to reduce the volume of their compostable to-go containers. Since compostable material can’t be collected in a densely compacted form — the waste requires access to enough oxygen to keep the essential composting bacteria alive — they needed to find a way to shred these containers into smaller pieces.

After discussing this problem with the food container manufacturer, it became clear that they hadn’t devised a solution on their end to dispose of the used containers. So Boers and his team began conducting industry research on the types of waste grinders and shredders available, which led them to Tom Smith at JWC Environmental…

Read the full article here.