Liquid waste
Food processing businesses produce enormous amounts of waste water. Good quality
water is very expensive to buy, treat and dispose of correctly after use.
The dairy industry is one of the major users of water and producers of waste
water. The waste water produced by FPT Foods comes from various sources such
as tanker washing, plant and equipment cleaning, cleaning of floors, condensate
from evaporation and stormwater from roofs and roadways.
If the company just opened up the taps and let everything go into the drains
or the river without treatment, very soon there would be a very dirty, putrid
mess. The surrounding environment would be so polluted that nobody would be
able to live in the area. There would be no usable irrigation water and nobody
would buy the company’s products.
Liquid waste is separated into three different categories:
- sewerage: effluent from toilets, showers and hand wash
stations is fed into the local water authority sewage system. Access covers
to drains carrying sewerage are identified by green triangular plates marked
‘toilet cistern’
- stormwater: drains that collect water from the factory
and other building roofs, courtyards and aprons are connected to and deliver
rainwater to the town’s stormwater system. Access covers to all stormwater
drains are identified by a blue triangular plate showing a storm cloud with
a lightning bolt
There is provision to divert the ‘first flush’ (10 minutes)
into the wastewater treatment plant to collect waste such as powder deposits
from roofs, buildings and courtyards, oil and other liquid spills in courtyards
and roadways and cigarette butts, paper and plastic from around the factory.
If there was no diversion system to collect this trash, it would end up in
the river or ocean. Courtyard and road cleaning should be done by sweeping
rather than by hosing. This can take a substantial load off the wastewater
treatment plant. The diversion system is vital in the event of a major product
or chemical spill. It ensures that the spill can be diverted and contained
- production wastes: liquid waste from FPT Foods’
production processes is collected and pumped to the wastewater treatment plant
for processing. After treatment, the waste water is pumped into the local
authority’s waste treatment plant for final processing before discharge
to the ocean. Waste water may also be used; for example, for irrigation, if
it complies with the EPA's stringent requirements
Access covers to all drains carrying factory waste are identified by a red
triangular plate showing a factory silhouette.
