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Zero Waste Strategies for Gills Onions

Sustainable Innovation and Waste Management

A 2010 Group Project Proposal

Researched and Produced by: LeeAnne French Laura Hamman Stacy Katz Yuji Kozaki

Faculty Advisor: James Frew

Zero Waste Strategies for Gills Onions

Sustainable Innovation and Waste Management

Table of Contents

ABSTRACT................................................................................................................... 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................2 PROJECT OBJECTIVES………….............................................................................4 PROJECT SIGNIFICANCE........................................................................................5 LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................................................7

What is Zero Waste?........................................................................................................7 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.................................................................................................. 8 Motivations.........................................................................................................................10 Strategies for Addressing the Problem........................................................................14 Barriers……………………...………..……………..…...…………..………..….16

APPROACH................................................................................................................ 19 MANAGEMENT PLAN............................................................................................ 24 DELIVERABLES........................................................................................................28 MILESTONES............................................................................................................29 BUDGET......................................................................................................................30

REFERENCES…………............................................................................................31

Zero Waste Strategies for Gills Onions: Sustainable Innovation and Waste Management 1

Abstract

Gills Onions, the largest onion processor in the United States, is committed to achieving zero

waste at their processing facility and administrative office located in Oxnard, California. Zero

waste encompasses a strategy that aims to maximize recycling, minimize waste, and reduce

consumption of materials, energy and water. It is a long-term goal attainable through a

systematic and incremental approach. Gills Onions is motivated to pursue zero waste

initiatives not only because of increasing customer demand, regulatory pressures and economic

incentives but also because it wants to be accountable for its environmental impacts. The

company has already taken steps towards reducing its waste, namely by using onion waste to

produce energy, and is now looking to the Bren School to provide a holistic analysis of their

entire business operation. This Group Project will therefore provide a comprehensive audit

and analysis of all of Gills Onions material, energy and water flows, quantify their waste

streams, and identify opportunities for reduction, reuse, recycling, or material substitution

where possible. By providing Gills Onions with the information and strategic plan requisite

for achieving zero waste, the company will be able to influence other food processors to

follow its example.


Executive Summary

In 2007, the United States generated approximately 254 million tons of municipal solid waste,

and individual generation rates increased to 4.62 pounds per day from 2.68 pounds per day

back in 1960.1 The majority of garbage generated (54%) ended up in landfills.1 While using

landfills to dispose of garbage is considered an acceptable practice, their use has deleterious

environmental and economic consequences including possible groundwater contamination,

consumption of valuable land resources and they promote the permanent burial of natural

resources.2 Landfills are also a significant source of carbon dioxide and methane emissions,

two powerful greenhouse gasses which contribute to global warming.3 Moreover, it is

estimated that in the US, at present generation rates, existing landfills have on average 20

years left of capacity.4 As a result, waste disposal costs are becoming increasingly more

expensive as businesses need to transport wastes longer distances and pay larger tipping fees.5

In 2007 California sent 39.6 million tons of waste to landfills, of which 16% was food

matter.6,7 About half of the food waste produced came from activities related to vegetable

crop production, including food processing and handling.8 Our client, Gills Onions, is the

largest fresh onion processor in the State, and one of the largest in the world. Located in

Oxnard, California, Gills Onions peels, slices, and dices more than 100,000 tons of onions

per year. Unfortunately, 37% of the onions processed cannot be used by customers and

instead are discarded as waste. However, since their inception over 25 years ago, the

company has continuously sought ways to minimize their environmental impact, conserve

natural resources, and follow a path of sustainable development. Rather than send their

onion waste to the landfill, they returned it to the soil via land application. But as volumes

increased and waste disposal costs rose, this practice was no longer feasible. As a result, the

company is currently implementing a proprietary process to convert onion waste into clean

energy for their operations and is developing other products from their onion wastes which

will reduce waste, open new market opportunities, and increase profitability.

While Gills Onions is taking steps to reduce their environmental impact by eliminating onion

waste, their processing facility and administrative offices still generate approximately 500

tons per year of non-onion waste. Many of these materials that end up in the landfill can be

recycled, composted, or reused. Unfortunately, efforts to implement a company-wide


recycling program have been unsuccessful and composting and reuse programs have yet to

be implemented. In addition, Gills Onions currently generates a large volume of consumer

packaging material, and as the source of these materials has a responsibility to ensure that

their impact is minimized.

Gills Onions believes that in order to truly operate sustainably, they must take full

responsibility for identifying reduction or re-use opportunities for all materials produced or

consumed in their operational processes, as well as those distributed to customers. To

accomplish this, Gills Onions has set a goal of achieving zero waste by 2010. Zero waste

encompasses a strategy that aims to maximize recycling, minimize waste, and reduce

consumption of materials, energy and water.9 By implementing a comprehensive recycling

program, expanding their waste reduction initiatives and quantifying their energy and water

consumption, Gills Onions will be able to reduce waste, improve process efficiencies,

increase profitability, and set an example for others in the industry to follow.

While Gills Onions is committed to achieving zero waste, its ability to do so is hampered by

several important factors, including sufficient dedicated internal resources, information

needed to identify the best alternatives for their waste streams, a systematic, rigorous,

quantitative approach, and the analytical tools that are required for success.

The purpose of this Group Project will be to provide Gills Onions with the information,

strategy and methodology it needs to implement a zero waste program by 2010 at its

processing facility and administrative offices. The Bren team will conduct a comprehensive

audit and analysis of all of Gills Onions material, energy and water flows, quantify their

waste streams, identify opportunities for reduction, reuse, recycling, or material substitution

where possible, and provide a reference guidebook on achieving zero waste that Gills

Onions can share with others in the industry. By providing Gills Onions with the

information and strategic plan requisite for achieving zero waste, it will be able to continue

on a path of sustainable innovation and conservation and serve as an example for the

industry to follow.


Project Objectives

The project’s main objective is to evaluate Gills Onions’ current material, energy and water

flows and identify new opportunities for reducing, recycling, and reusing at their

administrative offices and processing facility. This will be achieved by:

• Auditing and characterizing the materials that flow into and out of both the

administrative and processing facility.

• Identifying source reduction and reuse opportunities both internally and with

suppliers.

• Helping to facilitate the start up of both a recycling and composting program.

• Documenting and quantifying total water and energy used in order to establish a

baseline and highlight opportunities for potential improvements.

• Quantifying current and potential financial investments and savings that can be

achieved from the waste reduction program.

• Developing quantitative monitoring and evaluation methods to track and measure

Gills Onions waste reduction efforts and results over time.

• Documenting procedures and achievements in a ‘Guidebook’ so that Gills Onions

can be used as an example for other companies to follow.

In order to accomplish these objectives, we will conduct material, energy, and water audits,

construct mass balances, and utilize analytical methods such as environmental cost accounting,

green supply chain management, and review existing life cycle analyses as appropriate. In

addition, we will develop financial models that incorporate internal expenditures and savings

generated, to rank our recommendations based on returns on investment.

A final report and presentation will provide an evaluation of Gills Onions various waste

streams and their origins, opportunities for waste reduction, reuse, or recycling, as well as

short-term and long-term strategies for implementing a zero waste plan by 2010.


Project Significance

Enabling Gills Onions to achieve zero waste will have significant implications beyond the

scope of our group project. Gills Onions has an opportunity to take a leadership role and set

an example for the entire Californian Food Processing Industry to follow. California is the

food processing center of the Nation, shipping more than $50 billion dollars worth of food

products each year.10 The industry is characterized by the use of both advanced technology

and leading edge management practices.11 However, the industry also generates enormous

amounts of waste and no food processor to date has attempted to achieve zero waste.

As customers increasingly demand “green” products and practices from the companies they

buy from, as waste disposal costs rise and as businesses increasingly face regulatory pressure

to reduce their waste streams, there will be an increasing interest amongst businesses to

implement zero waste initiatives. Zero waste practices are a catalyst for change as

organizations realize that reducing waste not only helps reduce costs and improve process

efficiencies but also reduces environmental impacts. Increasingly, businesses will be

motivated to reduce or eliminate waste, modify production processes, implement

conservation techniques and increase material and reuse strategies.

Gills Onions can use its zero waste story as a case study for others in the food processing

industry to follow. Its zero waste methodology will outline a new business strategy

characterized by operational systems that minimize waste and inefficiencies and in turn are

more environmentally sustainable. Gills Onions’ zero waste initiatives and success will easily

be seen as a natural extension of ongoing total quality management.

Attention is already being directed to Gills Onions. They are currently receiving increasing

attention for being the first in the industry to successfully implement an Advanced Energy

Recovery System, a system designed to convert their largest waste stream, onion waste, into

energy. Gills Onions is therefore well positioned to extend their leadership role to

encompass zero waste as well. Through Gills Onions’ example, others in the industry will

recognize the benefits from further reducing their waste streams. They will have factual

evidence that zero waste strategies are practical, enable cost reductions, improve efficiencies,


minimize environmental impacts, and improve a company’s overall “green” image. Gills

Onions will be able to lead the food processing industry on a path to sustainable growth.


Literature Review

Zero waste is a long-term goal attainable through a systematic and incremental approach. It

requires continuous improvement, innovation and creativity – traits that are exemplified in any

successful business. Embracing a zero waste goal requires that Gills Onions take a life cycle

view of its products and business operations, ensuring that all materials flowing through the

business and to its customers are properly accounted for and, at the end of their life, are

recycled back into nature or the marketplace. A zero waste strategy calls for ensuring that

supplies used, products sold, and packaging materials are carefully specified to reduce the total

amount of resources needed, to be used for as long as possible and to provide opportunities

for reuse, biodegradation or recycling when at the end of their useful life.

In addition to focusing on material use, a zero waste goal also draws attention to water use and

energy efficiency. Improvements in water and energy efficiency can be made through process

and production improvements that focus on reducing initial consumption and recycling these

resources where possible. Such process improvements might include recycling water within

the production process, reusing degraded water for downstream activities or cogeneration in

energy systems.

Reducing material, water and energy waste requires ongoing improvements as well as the

identification of innovative alternatives that become part of an overall business strategy.

Ultimately, a zero waste initiative helps to ensure energy, water, and material flows are

operating as efficiently as possible, that fewer resources are required, and that Gills Onions

becomes more sustainable by reducing costs and environmental impacts.

What is Zero Waste?

A zero waste strategy aims to maximize recycling, minimize waste, reduce consumption and

ensure that products are made to be reused, repaired or recycled back into nature or the

marketplace.9 The GrassRoots Recycling Network has outlined ten key principles designed

to help guide businesses in their efforts to establish zero waste policies and programs.

Among these principles is a commitment to the triple bottom line (people, planet and profit),

sending zero waste to the landfill or incineration, and assuming responsibility for taking back

products and for packaging.12


The objective of achieving zero waste is not impractical and zero waste initiatives are

increasingly being adopted by businesses, cities, and countries around the world.13 For

example, Wal-Mart, Xerox, Toyota, Nike, the cities of San Francisco, Seattle, Boulder,

Buenos Aires and 40% of New Zealand’s local governments are just some of the entities that

have recently established zero waste goals.14 In addition, through the United Nations Urban

Environmental Accords, 103 city mayors worldwide have committed to sending zero waste

to landfills and incinerators by the year 2040 or earlier.15

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

There are several approaches that Gills Onions can employ that will enable them to work

towards a zero waste goal. These strategies include reducing, reusing, recycling, composting

and substituting less impactful materials for more harmful ones where possible. These

strategies have been commonplace in the United States since the 1970s.16

Reduce

Waste prevention is often prioritized as the most important strategy for minimizing waste.17

Waste prevention, also known as source reduction, refers to any strategy that incorporates a

change in the design, manufacturing, purchase, or use of materials (including packaging) to

reduce their amount before they are discarded. For example, strategies for reducing

packaging material may include making it simpler, lighter or smaller, or completely

eliminating unnecessary packaging elements. Generally, if operations, manufacturing

processes, or activities are altered to ensure the prevention of waste, raw materials and the

cost per unit of production are also lowered.18 Since source reduction of resources and

packaging can save money by reducing materials and energy, manufacturers and package

designers have been pursuing these strategies for many years and established methodologies

exist for identifying new source reduction strategies.

In terms of water and energy use, reductions can be made through process improvements

that work to eliminate unnecessary flows, by repairing leaks, engaging in conservation

strategies and good housekeeping practices and by investing in energy efficient equipment.


Reuse

Reuse is another strategy that Gills Onions can employ to reduce waste. Reuse involves the

recovery or reapplication of a resource, package or used product in a manner that retains its

original form or identity. The ideal place to reuse wastes is within the processing and

administrative facilities themselves. Significant reuse opportunities exist where waste

streams from water can be reused within other operations of the facility. For example,

degraded water can be recovered and used for downstream activities such as wastewater

which can be recycled back into operations and used for irrigation or cooling.19 Waste heat

can also be captured and reused in processes. Strategies for material reuse include replacing

disposable items with those that are reusable such as pallets, sacks, and containers, etc.

Waste reduction can also be achieved by designing equipment, materials and other goods so

that they are designed from the beginning for reuse. This strategy is referred to as design for

the environment and incorporates techniques that are used to identify the environmental

impact of a product throughout its life cycle and focuses on pollution prevention strategies.20

Recycling

Gills Onions can further reduce their waste streams through recycling. Recycling refers to

the recovery of resources and materials from a previous waste stream for use as raw material

in the manufacture of new products or processes.21 Recycling of beverage containers (plastic,

aluminum and glass) is very familiar, however recycling also applies to energy and water

including the recycling of residual organic wastes used for energy, or sludge from a

wastewater treatment plant used as fertilizer. Recycling has environmental benefits at every

stage in the life cycle of a product.1

The environmental benefits from recycling material waste include diverting resources from

the landfill, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the air and water pollution

associated with making new products from raw materials. In addition, the use of recycled

materials requires less water and energy than manufacturing products from virgin materials.22

In 2007, the United States recycled 33.4% of its municipal solid waste which included

composted material.1 Many different materials can be recycled although each type requires a


different process. Materials that are commonly recycled include batteries, glass, metals,

plastics, paper, textiles, timber, electronics, tires, rubber, leather, as well as aggregates and

concrete.13 Biodegradable waste – such as food and yard waste can also be recycled into

useful material by composting. Most composting is done on a household scale, but

municipal green-waste collection programs also exist. In addition to traditional materials,

some companies have been innovative, taking back used products and turning them into

recycled products.12 For example, Nike collects worn-out footwear and grinds them up to

make athletic courts and Stonyfield Farms takes back yogurt cups and turns them into

toothbrushes.

Material Substitution

The potential for waste reduction also exists when materials can be substituted with others

that can be either recycled or composted (biodegradable). Among other materials, a vast

range of oil-based polymers is currently used in packaging applications.23 As a result,

packaging materials often are non-biodegradable and are particularly difficult to recycle or

reuse due to mixed levels of contamination and complex composites. In recent years,

however, the development of biodegradable packaging materials from renewable natural

resources (e.g. crops) have been created with similar functionality to that of the oil-based

synthetic polymers.24 Potentially, substituting existing packaging materials with those made

from biodegradable materials could reduce their need to end up as a waste stream.23

In addition to the aforementioned reduction strategies, numerous other approaches can be

employed to achieve zero waste at Gills Onions. These include purchasing recycled content

or environmentally preferable products, instituting producer take back programs, and

redesigning supply, production, and distribution systems to reduce resource consumption,

among others.

Motivations

Beyond wanting to be a good steward of the environment, Gills Onions’ zero waste initiative

is a response to the customer, government and cost pressures that businesses across the US

are facing.


Customer Demand

While buying behavior does not always match stated preferences, customers continue to

demand “green” products and are looking to do business with companies with sustainable

business practices.25 While demand for sustainable practices from Gills Onions’ customers is

anecdotal, there is clear evidence that businesses are increasingly being asked to green their

supply chains and to improve environmental stewardship.26 For example, to reduce waste by

25% at its retail stores, Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, is putting pressure on its 60,000

suppliers to reduce packaging and, in the case of food product providers like Gills Onions,

to convert to corn-based packaging from plastic because it is biodegradable.27

Increasingly, businesses are also responding to customer inquiries about sustainable practices

and opportunities exist for companies to highlight their ‘greenness’ using numerous eco-

labeling schemes.28 Steve Gill, President and co-founder of Gills Onions, recognizes that

environmental stewardship provides an opportunity to differentiate products and services

from other suppliers and wants to take advantage of this increased market potential. “If

customers want to be sustainable themselves, they will have to buy from us because we are

the most sustainable producer. We can show them how it is done.”29

Regulatory Pressure

Beyond consumer demands, Gills Onions also foresees increasing regulatory pressure to

reduce their waste streams. With the passage of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990,30 the

US Congress stepped up its efforts to encourage businesses to reduce or eliminate waste at

the source by modifying production processes, implementing conservation techniques and

increasing material reuse strategies. As a result, the EPA has created numerous partnership

programs such as the Green Chemistry Initiative which fosters the exchange of information

amongst members related to waste reduction practices, sponsors research to support

industry’s efforts to substitute less impactful materials, and provides incentives and visibility

for members’ efforts.31

In 1994, EPA established the WasteWise program which is designed to partner with

businesses, state and local governments and institutions to reduce municipal solid waste.

EPA provides information resources and visibility for its partner’s voluntary efforts and


encourages businesses to reduce the amount of materials used, increase recycling within their

organization, and buy or manufacture recyclable products.32 More recently the EPA

established the Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC), a nationwide effort to renew and

revitalize the nation’s goals of pollution prevention, waste reduction, reuse, and recycling.33

One of the main goals of RCC is to help the nation achieve a recycling rate of 40% by 2011.

While most of the federal programs in the US are voluntary, the UK, Germany and other

EU countries have instituted a myriad of mandates, levies and incentives to require increased

waste diversion, recycling and alternative energy investments. 34 35 36 Some believe that it will

not be long before the U.S. Federal Government too initiates Federal mandates.

Meanwhile, many States have followed the lead of the Federal government and encouraged

waste reduction initiatives. Specifically, in 1989 California passed the Integrated Waste

Management Act (AB 939).37 At the time, California was disposing of 90% of its waste and

recycling only 10%.38 The new law established the California Integrated Waste Management

Board (CIWMB) and mandated that cities reduce waste to the landfill by 25% by 1995 and by

50% by 2000. Today, CIWMB goes beyond reduce, reuse and recycle and supports Zero

Waste California.39 This broad reaching initiative challenges cities to go zero waste, provides

businesses with information, incentives and an innovative materials exchange portal (CalMAX)

so that businesses can more easily identify markets for their waste streams.40

While most of California’s programs have been voluntary to-date, new formal legislation has

recently been proposed. On April 12, 2009, the requirement for extended producer

responsibility was included as part of the California Product Stewardship Act (AB 283). If

passed, AB 283 will require producers to identify alternatives during product and packaging

design “to foster cradle-to-cradle producer responsibility and reduce the end-of-life

environmental impacts of the product.”41The ultimate goal being to reduce the amount of

waste sent to landfill.

California’s waste reduction efforts are more important than ever as concerns over global

climate change mount, not only because of the greenhouse gas emissions from landfills but

also because of the energy efficiency gain achieved by reducing waste at the source and

minimizing reliance on virgin materials.42 In the absence of Federal legislation on climate


change over the past 10 years, California has taken the lead. In 1998, the California Energy

Commission was required to do an inventory of California’s GHG emissions as a baseline.

Two years later, the California Climate Action Registry (now a part of the North American

Climate Registry) was created by law to provide businesses with a consistent methodology for

calculating and verifying GHG emissions, and voluntarily establishing and reporting reduction

goals.43 44 These laws laid the groundwork for the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB

32), landmark legislation which sets into motion a comprehensive plan involving all sectors of

the economy to achieve GHG emissions reductions to 1990 levels by 2020.45 The AB 32

Scoping Plan was approved in 2008; the pursuant regulations, standards and incentives will go

into affect by 2010. Several measures contained within the scoping plan may affect Gills

Onions directly or indirectly including energy efficiency and emissions requirements,

transportation regulations (Gills owns 22 semi-trailer trucks), water use efficiency standards,

new extended producer responsibility requirements, recycling, and zero waste mandates.46

Economic Pressures

While California’s businesses are anticipating and preparing for new regulations to be

promulgated from AB 32, there are also economic reasons why a zero waste strategy makes

good business sense. For years, businesses have recognized that the elimination of waste is

synonymous with quality improvement.47 As the quality and efficiency of internal processes

improve, costs decrease. During times of economic recession, businesses are especially

motivated to look more closely at their operations to identify potential costs savings by

reducing material waste, and improving energy efficiency.

Like the rest of the country, energy efficiency is becoming increasingly important to California

businesses. California’s average electricity costs across all sectors have risen 44.8% since 1990

and are expected to increase between 20-29% by the year 2020. 48 49 However, as the cost of

energy rises, so does the price of water.50 As the largest onion processor in the US, Gills

Onions has enormous energy and water requirements. To mitigate the impact of rising

electricity costs, Gills Onions is proactively pursuing alternative energy projects specifically

converting onion waste to biofuels and leveraging statewide RD&D programs, incentives and

rebates to offset the initial capital investments.51 By taking advantage of efficiency and capital


improvements, Gills, much like other businesses, not only is able to improve their competitive

advantage but is also more easily able to position themselves as an industry leader.

Gills Onions recognizes that additional opportunities still exist within their business where

waste streams are being generated. Realizing that the efficient use of natural resources saves

money, and that environmentally preferable purchasing, employee recycling, composting and

packaging alternatives present additional opportunities to reduce costs, Gills Onions is

motivated to reduce waste, increase profitability and improve its environmental performance.

Strategies for Addressing the Problem

There are several strategies that organizations employ to try to solve issues related to waste

streams.

Inputs & Outputs

In order to identify what materials are coming into an operation and what materials end up

leaving, audits and mass balance analyses are often employed.52 To evaluate material inputs,

common practices look at purchasing and receiving logs and to identify outputs, a waste

audit is commonly used. A waste audit, also known as a waste disposal characterization, is a

method used for collecting data on the waste stream. It can be used to assess waste

minimization opportunities and to measure the types and amounts of materials in the waste

stream at a particular facility.53 In California, the CIWMB provides guidelines on how to

conduct a waste disposal characterization as well as to how to analyze the data.54 In addition

to identifying material flows, energy and water audits are also utilized for identifying the

consumption of these resources.

Life cycle assessment

One way to analyze alternatives to reduce waste streams is through life cycle assessment

(LCA). LCA is a “cradle-to-grave” approach for measuring the total impacts of a product.

LCA enables the estimation of the cumulative environmental impacts resulting from all

stages in the product life cycle, often including impacts not considered in more traditional

analyses.55 LCA analyses have been completed for numerous packaging types and material

categories and are published in the scientific and business literature. The growing set of


completed LCA’s enable companies to embed life cycle thinking into their preliminary

decision making without having to conduct costly and time consuming LCA analysis on

every individual product, process or material decision.

The use of LCA is widely accepted and as a result, companies in all sectors are making

decisions based on this type of analysis. For example, Coca-Cola, based its decision to use

plastic bottles on an LCA that revealed fewer hydrocarbon resources (oil or natural gas

derivatives) used with plastic as opposed to glass.56 Toyota currently uses LCA to quantify

and assess the environmental impacts and financial costs of its packaging systems and makes

improvements wherever possible.57 However, while LCA is widely used, the methodological

approaches vary depending on the initiators interests and objectives. Therefore, an

important consideration for using previously conducted LCAs is to ensure that the

comparative data is sufficiently matched so that accurate conclusions can be drawn.58

Green Supply Chain Management

Another strategy commonly used to identify waste reduction opportunities is green supply

chain management. Green supply chain management is a comprehensive supply chain

strategy that links environmental performance to overall business goals. In the greening of

supply chains the economic objectives from conventional supply chains are extended to

include environmental objectives, potential impacts and estimated costs into consideration

simultaneously.59 In this strategy, businesses look to their supply chains to identify where

environmental improvements can be made upstream or downstream in the products and

services their suppliers are providing. By using green supply chain management businesses

are able to reduce the waste from obsolescence and the cost of from the maintenance, repair

and operation (MRO) of wasted materials through enhanced sourcing and inventory

management practices. Companies can thereby decrease the costs associated with scrap and

material losses, and recover valuable materials and assets through efficient product take back

programs.60

Green supply chain management can be an effective strategy for reducing material waste but

is dependent upon environmental pressures, objectives and cost/benefit assumptions, firms’

capabilities, and the influence of the anchor business over its suppliers.


In sum, numerous strategies exist to identify zero waste opportunities. Amongst others,

these include audits and mass balance analyses of materials, water and energy resource flows.

Based on the accumulated baseline data, priorities can be established and further analysis

conducted on the highest leverage waste streams. By using currently available LCA analyses

and green supply chain methods potential alternatives can be evaluated and provide a

framework for recommendations.

Barriers

While achieving zero waste is an attainable long-term goal, technical issues, economic

considerations, product quality concerns, and health safety requirements can all serve as

prominent barriers to success.

Technical and Economical feasibility

While a zero waste goal strives for reusing and recycling to the maximum extent possible,

unfortunately not all materials can be reused or recycled, others are very difficult to recycle

and for some materials, markets do not exist or are not accessible.61 For example, some

materials that cannot be recycled include Styrofoam®, some high grade plastics, waxed or

laminated papers that are contaminated, plate glass and mirrors. In addition, materials with

mixed levels of contamination or those made from complex composites tend to be difficult

to recycle.23 Moreover, certain requirements must be met in order for recycling to be

economically feasible and effective. Firstly, an adequate source of recyclable material needs

to exist and a system needs to be in place to extract that material from the waste stream.

Secondly, a readily accessible facility capable of reprocessing the material has to be available.

Finally, potential demand for the recycled material needs to exist. If all of these components

are not in place, recycling will be incomplete and in fact only be "collection".62

While the types of materials and quantities that can be recycled is growing, markets for

recycled materials are not pervasive and in some areas are still relatively small.63 Additionally,

markets for recycled products are particularly sensitive to economic conditions and in the

case of plastics, to the price of oil. The size of the recycling market fluctuates with economic

cycles and can shrink substantially during a recession.64


Product Quality

Maintaining product quality can also be a significant barrier to achieving zero waste

particularly in the food processing industry where shelf life, tamper resistance, and food

safety issues are paramount concerns. The decision to achieve zero waste necessitates that

Gills Onions evaluate the materials used in its production process and consumer packaging.

However this desire needs to be balanced to ensure that products are contained and

protected adequately, prevented from spoiling, branded and marketed with enough

information to relay relevant information, tamper resistant, traceable, and convenient for

customers.65 With a product such as onions, the packaging also needs to breathe to prevent

moisture build up, while not allowing odors to escape.

Health Safety

Another barrier to achieving zero waste in the food processing industry is compliance with

National and State health safety requirements. These requirements often mandate that

hygiene be maintained and that materials be regularly cleaned or changed frequently and are

often prevented from reuse.66 For example, gloves are required but have to be discarded

immediately upon contact with the face; hairnets have to be worn and discarded, and

materials used for testing are single-use only. As a result, to keep the food safety risk low,

food processors often can consume more disposable resources than are desirable and can be

constrained in the types of materials that they are able to use.

Strict health and safety requirements also apply to the production process itself and require

frequent and careful cleaning and sanitizing of all equipment. While necessary to prevent the

contamination of food by Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli or any other pathogens, the

cleaning and sanitizing processes can require additional energy and water resources as well as

the use of detergents and chlorine.67 These are important considerations when identifying

process improvements, water and chemical reduction opportunities, and material

substitution alternatives.

In summary, a zero waste goal is not impracticable and numerous opportunities exist to

minimize waste by reducing, reusing and recycling energy, water and materials. Key


customer, regulatory and economic motivators are driving organizations toward zero waste

initiatives and a number of strategies are available to aid with analysis and decision making.

However, it is important to recognize that key barriers to achieving zero waste also exist,

specifically in the food processing industry, and these need to be taken into careful

consideration when working to achieve zero waste initiatives.


Approach

In order to recommend a zero waste plan for Gills Onions we first need to understand what

resources and materials are being used by the company and establish a baseline for each

waste stream. Secondly, we will work to identify opportunities to reduce waste through

resource reduction, reuse, and recycling, improved efficiency, and material substitution. Our

final recommendations will be compiled in a final report to the client.

1. Identify the System

• Identify which physical components of Gills Onions processing and administrative

facilities are going to be included in our evaluation. This will include all of the

buildings and structures that are involved in the operations of the business and are

associated with activities that utilize resources.

� We will consult with Gills Onions to identify these structures and obtain a

map, blueprints or a listing of all the facilities and their square footage.

Examples include processing facility, administrative offices, shed, packaging

storage, wastewater treatment, anaerobic digester, fuel cell and power

generator.

� Decide which components will be included the assessment and provide

rationalization.

2. Specify which materials and resources we will be evaluating:

• Identify all materials to be evaluated, determine how they will be categorized

and identify units of measurement.

• Identify all sources of water and energy that will be included

• Indicate what equipment and processes will be considered and the

boundaries of each process.

• Identify fuel, oil, lubricants, chemicals and other resources that will be

included in the evaluation

• Determine how we will quantify, characterize each waste stream and its

associated costs.

3. Identify what is coming into the facilities:

• All data will be analyzed on an annual basis.


• Request purchasing & receiving orders from Gills Onions purchasing and

receiving departments and procurement records for maintenance supplies

and equipment.

• Request 2008 to the present records from Gills Onions for all onion

deliveries.

• Consult with heads of each department and Gills Onions to identify other

materials that may not have been accounted for.

• List, quantify and associate costs with all material and resources coming into

the company.

• Perform material and resource tracking through the use of process maps.

4. Identify and understand the processes taking place within the facilities and the resource

consumption involved. For each process listed below:

• Observe and document processes and quantify material inputs. Ask line

supervisors questions about apparent waste to better understand quality

standards versus potential process waste.

• Work with Gills Onions’ engineer to measure energy consumption by

gauging the energy flow from the main electrical panel to each process and

converting energy flow to average kilowatts per hour metric. Also determine

the number of hours a day each process is running on average and whether it

is typically turned off during breaks or between shifts.

• Use existing process flow meters to determine water use. Use visual clues for

signs of process inefficiency (wet floors, visible drips from slough, etc.).

� Receiving: Onions from farms, super cooling, warehousing

� Process 1: Onion top/tail and peel, quality assurance, rinse, bag

� Process 2: slice, quality assurance, bag, pack, tag

� Process 3: chop, dry, quality assurance, bag, pack, tag

� Testing: water quality, bacteria, etc.

• Analyze office, sales, shipping, receiving order tracking processes

• Look at maintenance logs to identify downtime

• Utility bills will be used as one source for water and energy usage and costs

5. Identify and quantify what is going out


• Conduct waste audit for materials (collection over 2 day period), quantify by

weight and characterize each waste stream.

• Identify which waste materials are recyclable– plastic by number (1-7),

aluminum, tin, paper, cardboard, motor oil, tires, ink cartridges, etc. Track

possible reuse opportunities.

• Quantify and characterize food waste from lunchrooms for compost

potential.

• Quantify by weight remaining non-recyclable trash, and characterize potential

to recover in the future for reduction, reuse or recycle

• Measure waste heat in BTUs (work with engineer) from sources such as the

fuel cells and ammonium cooling generators, investigate opportunity for

potential energy cogeneration

• Measure waste water flows out of the processing facility by volume, quality

(BOM) and temperature and identify onsite waste water processing capacity.

Investigate opportunity to reuse water within each process and from the

waste water treatment system.

• Measure onion waste stream at each point in the process (see process list

above) as well as cumulative over one day. Check shipping records for onion

waste solids sold to dairies over past year. Measure volume of onion juice

extracted daily from onion waste. Use visual clues to identify potential

process improvements.

• Confirm using shipping records, the total customer shipments by weight over

the past year. Also segment shipment volumes by packaging size and type.

• Audit invoice records for disposal rates and quantities

6. Synthesize and visualize information collected

• Identify root causes of wastes by constructing cause-and-effect diagrams or

by asking why certain procedures exist.

• Visualize material, water and energy usage via mass balance model for entire

operation and for individual processes.

• Quantify material, water and energy wastes and create the baseline for each

waste stream from which progress towards zero waste will be benchmarked.


• Use pareto diagrams and other bar charts to display environmental costs by

activity and to rank opportunity areas by value

7. Prioritize opportunities for further analysis of waste reduction alternatives based on:

• Greatest potential for waste reduction by volume

• Client’s business requirements and preference

• Cost savings

• Environmental impacts

• Group members’ areas of interest

• Feasibility

• Time constraints

8. Analyze the selected priority, highest leverage opportunities to reduce waste using the

appropriate methods:

• Green Supply Chain Management approach

• Environmental Cost Accounting

• Energy and water efficiency analysis

• Utilize existing life cycle assessments to compare possible packaging options,

office supplies (paper) alternatives, cleaning products, disposable vs. reusable

supplies for the processing facility to identify potential material substitution

options. Alternatives will be compared based on environmental impacts

such as global warming potential, toxicity and resource depletion, as well as

cost.

• Evaluate possible engineering alternatives for possible process improvements

and increased water and energy efficiency.

• Interview production personnel to understand potential opportunities for

and barriers to change to better understand feasibility for each opportunity.

9. Determine opportunities and develop specific solution recommendations

• Identify which areas offer the greatest opportunities for improvement based

on above analysis and pinpoint specific solutions that reduce costs and

negative impacts. Need to determine with Gills Onions what the decision

criteria will be based on (i.e. waste reduction, cost, environmental

improvement, etc.)


10. Make Recommendations

• Preview recommendations to clients

• Formalize recommendations in group project report

• Create guidebook for future waste assessments including baseline and

ongoing progress monitoring recommendations

• Package information so that it can be used for awards submissions and

educational materials.


Management Plan

Group Structure and Management

The following roles will be held by one or more of the group members at all times. Additional

roles and activities will be added and this management plan will be updated as required.

Project Manager

This individual is responsible for the following activities:

• Set agenda for each meeting.

• Ensure that group is aware of deadlines and that deadlines are met.

• Retain veto power over decisions.

The Project Manager will serve on a quarterly basis and the role will be rotated among

members throughout the Group Project term. If required at later date, group members can

determine that one group member serve in this role for the entire duration of the project.

Financial Manager

This individual is responsible for managing the Group’s budget, contracting with vendors,

incurring group expenses, and handling all financial transactions. The Financial Manager will

serve in this roll for the entire Group Project unless the group members determine at a later

date that another member should serve in this role.

Internet Manager

This individual will be responsible for creating and managing the group website, responding

to all requests that come in through the website and meeting all deadlines associated with

website related activities. The Internet Manager will serve in this role for the entire Group

Project unless the group members determine at a later date that another member should

serve in this role.

Internship Coordinator

This individual will be responsible for coordinating summer internship positions with Gills

Onions, defining the appropriate activities according to scope of work required and ensuring


that all requisite details are accounted for in terms of start dates, pay scale, pay period, etc.

The Internship Coordinator will serve in this role for the entire Group Project unless the

group members determine at a later date that another member should serve in this role.

Data Manager

This individual is responsible for maintaining all data on the shared drive, keeping records

and documents up-to-date and labeled appropriately and for ensuring quality control

compliance. The Data Manager will serve in this role for the entire Group Project unless the

group members determine at a later date that another member should serve in this role.

Secretary

This individual is responsible for taking notes at all meetings and making notes available to

the Group via posting to the shared drive. The Secretary is also responsible for sending an

email to all group members immediately following a meeting informing the Group of any

action items contained in the meeting notes. The Secretary will serve in this role for the

entire Group Project unless the group members determine at a later date that another

member should serve in this role.

Scheduler

This individual is responsible for scheduling all group and outside party meetings, reserving

rooms and/or equipment as needed and notifying group members of arrangements. The

Scheduler will serve in this role for the entire Group Project unless the group members

determine at a later date that another member should serve in this role.

Advisor: James E. Frew

External Advisors: __________________

__________________

Meeting Structure:

• Meetings will be held twice per week:

o Once per week the Group meets with Advisor

o Once per week the Group meets without the Advisor


• Additional meetings will be scheduled as needed upon consent of all group members.

• The Project Leader will compose and distribute an Agenda to all group members

prior to each meeting.

• The Project Leader will lead the meeting according to the Agenda.

• The Secretary will take Minutes during each meeting and highlight action items.

• Following the meeting the Agenda and Minutes will be saved to the shared drive in a

designated folder and the Secretary will email highlighted action items to the Group.

• Infrequent meetings with the client are sufficient, so we will meet via conference call

once per month. Additional client meetings can be called as needed by the client or

the Group.

Responsibilities of Group Members

Title Group Member Duration

Project Manager Stacy Katz Spring Quarter 2009

Financial Manager Laura Hamman Full Project

Internet Manager Yuji Kozaki Full Project

Internship Coordinator LeeAnne French Full Project

Data Manager Stacy Katz Full Project

Secretary LeeAnne French Full Project

Scheduler Stacy Katz Full Project

Systems to ensure deadlines are met

• The Project Manager will be responsible for ensuring that all group members are

assigned tasks according to upcoming deadlines and that group members are aware

of what needs to be accomplished and by when.

• During each meeting it will be the responsibility of the Project Manager to review

upcoming deadlines w/status and to ensure that deadlines will be met.

• The Secretary will be responsible for recording action items in the minutes and

distributing via email to all group members following each meeting.

Conflict Resolution Process

In order to alleviate any unnecessary conflict we agree to the following principles:


• Show respect for one another

• Engage in active listening

• Avoid any one person dominating the group dynamics

• Not to talk behind each other’s backs

However, if a conflict is to arise the following steps will be taken:

1. The upset party will, individually, address the injuring group member and peacefully

and professionally address the issue. A solution to the problem should initially be

agreed upon between the two parties to prevent the issue from recurring.

2. If step 1 doesn’t work, the group member who is upset should bring the issue to the

group and have an open discussion to try to find resolution.

3. If step 2 doesn’t work, depending on the matter, the Group should either bring the

issue to the committee chair, advisor or another relevant third party.

Procedures for documenting, cataloging, and archiving information

• All documents will be stored online in our shared folder. Folders will be used for

separate categories of data (e.g. agendas, industry analysis, literature review).

• All documents will be titled as following protocol “Name of Doc_V#”

• Documents should always be marked up using track changes and all working

documents should be kept in track changes mode.

• Final versions should be labeled “Name of Doc_VFinal”

• All group members are allowed to edit and update all documents.

• The contact database will be managed by Stacy Katz.

• Updated schedules should be maintained on Corporate Time.

• Meetings should be blocked out on Corporate Time.

Guidelines for interacting with faculty advisors, external advisors, clients

• Meetings will be held with our Advisor, James Frew, on a weekly basis.

• Our Advisor has indicated that he prefers not to micromanage our activities and

instead requests that we take the lead on group management and all other activities

related to the project.


• All interactions with advisor, client or other outside parties should be conducted in a

polite, friendly and professional manner.

Deliverables

This project will be an important element in Gills Onions’ ability to achieve its goal of zero

waste. In addition to an oral presentation, the main deliverable for this project will be a final

report that includes:

• Baseline information about Gills Onions material, water and energy use.

• Methods and procedures for calculating material, water and energy use.

• Zero waste strategy recommendations that can be implemented by Gills Onions in

their processing and administrative facilities.

Additionally, we will produce a final guidebook that includes baseline information about

Gills Onions material, water and energy use; strategies that can be employed to further

reduce the company’s waste streams and methods for monitoring progress.


Milestones

Spring Quarter - 2009

Task Deadline

Final Proposal To Review Committee May 26, 2009

Final Proposal Review Completed June 4, 2009

Web Site Operational and Up-to-Date June 8, 2009

Final Proposal Submitted June 11, 2009

Submit Self-Peer Evaluations June 11, 2009

1 page summary of proposal review meeting June 12, 2009

Summer - 2009

Task Deadline

Create Project Plan June 12, 2009

Gills Materials Waste Audit June 12, 2009

Climate Registry, 2008 Submission & 2009 to-date June 30, 2009

Recycling & Composting Program Elements Complete July 31, 2009

Packaging Materials Audit August 28, 2009

Onion Waste Audit – historical/planned August 28, 2009

Processing Facility Energy and Water Audits September 15, 2009

Office Energy Use Audit September 15, 2009

Fall - 2009

Task Deadline

Team Progress Review September 30, 2009

Baseline for Zero Waste Documented October 15, 2009

Establish Parameters for “Guidebook” October 22, 2009

Material Reduction Analysis and Recommendations November 9, 2009

Complete Packaging Analysis and Recommendations November 9, 2009

Complete Energy Analysis – before/after AERS and Recommendations November 9, 2009

Complete Water Analysis and Recommendations November 9, 2009

Complete Preferred Purchasing research – office, “green” cleaning and

process plant supplies

November 9, 2009

Progress Review November 13, 2009

Progress Report on Recycling & Composting Program December 1, 2009

Written Progress Report December 4, 2009

Submit Peer Evaluations December 4, 2009


Winter – 2010

Task Deadline

Create Project Defense Presentation February 1, 2009

Project Defense TBD

Draft of Final Report to Advisor February 15, 2009

Program Abstract to GP Coordinator March 10, 2009

Final Report Signed by Advisor & Submitted March 19, 2009

Project Brief Submitted March 19, 2009

Submit Self/Peer Reviewed Evaluations March 19, 2009

Submit Advisor Evaluations March 19, 2009

Spring – 2010

Task Deadline

Draft Power Point Submitted to Advisor 1-2 weeks prior to GP presentation

Public Project Presentation TBD

Budget

Project Performance Costs Presentation & Printing Costs

12 Trips to Oxnard, CA (100 miles x $.55/mile x 12 trips)

$660 Printing $200

Parking $30 Final Poster Production $300

Subscriptions & Research Materials $200 Presentation Expenses $50

Flash Drive $30 Business Cards $20

Phone calls $30

Total Project Performance Costs $950 Total Presentation & Printing Costs

$570

Total Project Costs $1520


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