Kraft Turning Cheese Waste Into Biogas

September 18th, 2008 by Ariel Schwartz

Add Kraft to the growing list of companies that turn waste into energy. Two of the company’s New York cheese plants plan to turn used whey into biogas—enough to provide energy to 2,600 homes. Previously, Kraft relied on other methods to get rid of its waste.

The company used to concentrate whey and send it off-site for use as animal feed or fertilizer on farm fields. But the new waste-to-energy plan will remove the CO2 emissions associated with transporting waste off-site.

Kraft’s announcement is part of a larger company-wide plan to reduce CO2 emissions by 25 percent and manufacturing plant waste by 15 percent.

Other companies getting on the waste-to-energy bandwagon include Anheuser-Busch, McDonald’s,and Chrysler.

I expect to see many more companies joining these heavyweights in the near future, as waste-to-energy is beneficial for everyone involved. Companies reduce transportation costs for shipping waste, local inhabitants get alternative energy, and the press gets a story. It seems like a no-brainer to me.

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