RealizingWhyZero‐Landfill
IsSoImportant:
TheSunnyD–CovantaStory
TOGETHER, SUNNY DELIGHT AND COVANTA IDENTIFIED MORE MATERIAL THAT CAN BE SOLD TO RECYCLERS. That, in turn, reduced the volume of waste and, along with it, the costs of hauling and disposal. It’s truly inspiring when a company takes real, definitive action on sustainability through the adoption of the four “Rs” – reduce, reuse, recycle and recover. That’s what’s happening at Sunny Delight Beverages Co. (SDBC), a privately held, 590‐employee beverage company known for its flagship SunnyD citrus punch, Fruit2O flavored waters, Elations dietary supplement for joint health, Veryfine 100% juices and juice drinks, Bossa Nova superfruit beverages, and Crystal Light ready‐to‐serve beverages. It’s a mid‐sized business that’s showing sustainability leadership equaling – and even exceeding – some of the largest and most respected companies in the world. “Our Chief Sustainability Officer set a goal for us to be 100 percent landfill free and 95 percent recycled within a very short timeframe,” says David Nelson, Operations Leader at the plant in Sherman, Texas where 56 full‐time employees produce the company’s products. “We’re now within one or two percent of our recycle‐reuse target and with the help of Covanta, we’ve achieved our landfill‐free goal.” RealizingWhyZero‐LandfillisSoImportant “I didn’t really grasp what sustainability truly meant to us until I put it in perspective,” Nelson recalls. “Our plant was sending 140 tons of waste per year to the landfill. That’s the equivalent of an adult blue whale. That really shocked me and made me appreciate our corporate sustainability mandate.” The initial effort to reduce, reuse and recycle by Nelson and his team cut that volume almost in half. Nelson, with the help of Covanta, then “OurChiefSustainabilityOfficersetagoalforustobe100percentlandfillfreeand95percent
went on a figurative dumpster‐diving expedition to find ways to shrink the waste stream even further. “That’s one of the things that impressed me about our Covanta representative,” Nelson says. “She got in there with us to analyze our waste stream and help us find recycledwithinaveryshorttimeframe,”saysDavidNelson,OperationsLeaderattheplantin
Sherman,TX.
covantaes.com 800‐950‐8749 ways to address the whole issue, reducing our waste as well as helping us dispose of it responsibly. We were already recycling a great deal, but Covanta helped us find many new opportunities.” As part of their sustainability program, Sunny Delight makes a concerted effort to minimize its waste stream. Product that is approaching its ship‐by date is donated for disaster relief, sent to food aid programs, or composted. “We also ship all we can to our recycler and try to reduce overall non‐manufacturing waste as much as possible, but there’s still some left. That’s where Covanta comes in.” For the small portion of the waste stream that can’t be reused or recycled, Sunny Delight turns to Covanta for zero‐
landfill disposal with energy recovery. “Our Covanta rep was the main reason why we felt good about going with Covanta. She was a real breath of fresh air and got us energized about what Covanta does. We formed a great relationship and found the best ways to reach our goal,” Nelson says. A visit to the Covanta Energy‐from‐Waste (EfW) facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma also left a lasting impression. “They were great, walking us through the facility, showing us the whole process . . . and their care for the environment. And that’s what it’s all about.” FindingaWaytoGoZero‐Landfill
With Covanta’s help, the Sherman plant was able to meet Sunny Delight’s zero landfill mandate three years ahead of schedule. Not only was Covanta instrumental in reducing waste stream disposal to between two and two and a half tons per month, they also offered the best option for landfill avoidance with energy recovery. With Sunny Delight’s corporate‐wide commitment to environmental protection, disposal is about more than keeping waste out of the landfill – it’s about picking the most sustainable method. The Covanta EfW process yields a positive benefit in the form of clean energy. SustainabilityThatPays
As Sunny Delight’s partner in waste management, Covanta helped the company achieve something truly impressive. The Sherman facility’s reduce‐reuse‐recycle‐recover effort more than offsets the cost of disposal. Together, Sunny Delight and Covanta identified more material that can be sold to recyclers. That, in turn, reduced the volume of waste and, along with it, the costs of hauling and disposal. “That’s the long term key to sustainability,” Nelson concludes. “It’s become an actual working economy that produces financial benefit instead of just being a drain. Covanta is playing a very important part for us by offering a truly sustainable way to manage what we cannot recycle. We already were doing well, but they helped us take our sustainability efforts to a whole new level.” Let’sGetStarted!
Zero‐landfill disposal with energy recovery is but one of the benefits clients get when partnering with Covanta. Decades of experience, access to the nation’s largest network of advanced EfW facilities and a consultative approach offer value unmatched in the industry. Covanta works closely with clients in all industries to find new ways to meet sustainability goals by reducing, reusing, recycling and recovering value from waste. To learn more about how Covanta can work with you to manage your waste streams more sustainably, call us at 800‐950‐8749.