All of Paulig’s waste gets a new lease of life
In 2012, Paulig generated a total of 585 tonnes of waste. As recently as the beginning of the 21st century, most of the roastery’s waste ended up in a landfill, but today no mixed waste at all emerges from the production process in normal conditions. Most of the waste is used for producing energy, and since 2011 the amount of this has been reduced by no less than 251 tonnes through streamlined sorting. Currently most of the waste is biomass, formed in different stages of manufacturing. A considerable part of the waste generated consists of various types of plastic and board, which are also sent for recycling.
In 2012, Paulig generated 308 tonnes of energy waste. This was comprised of, for example, wood pallets, laminate chaff, plastic packagings, and wet or dirty paper and board. The energy waste compressor shown in the picture compacts waste for onward transport by a waste disposal company to be recycled in energy production.
In 2012, the various stages of Paulig’s production process produced 184 tonnes of organic waste. The dust from green coffee is collected for composting and the coffee chaff resulting from roasting is compressed into briquettes. A small quantity of organic waste also results from the coffee packaging process. When the coffee product for packaging is changed for another on a production line, the coffee remaining in the pipeline has to be removed to prevent mixing of coffee products with different roast levels, for example. Organic waste is returned to the soil.
The quantity of waste is declining rapidly as new uses are found for individual materials. Paulig takes in nearly 3,000 container loads of coffee each year. Each incoming container has the coffee beans packaged in thick plastic. These giant sacks are collected and fed into a plastic compressor in the roastery’s yard. In 2012, 23.6 tonnes of this waste was generated and recycled into new plastic.
At the end of 2012, a baler came on stream for recycling the board used to line the interior of coffee containers. This is used to compress the board into the bales shown in the picture. This material is usable feedstock for the board industry.
Paulig also recycles its office waste. The offices have separate collection bins for energy waste, wastepaper, office paper, papers for destruction, and board. Organic waste is taken by employees straight to the organic waste bin in the personnel restaurant on the ground floor. In office work, Green Office principles are applied, for example, by printing out hardcopy on both sides and by avoiding unnecessary printouts.