UnWrapp Your Way to Less Waste

Morristown, N.J.-based Covanta Environmental Solutions has come up with an inventive process for grocers to reduce their packaged-product waste.

“Covanta’s innovative UnWrapp technology (Using New Ways to Recycle All Packaged Goods) is capable of depackaging and recycling common ‘not to be sold’ packaged consumer products which may be expired, recalled or otherwise unusable,” explains James Regan, the company’s media relations director. “UnWrapp recovers and recycles a range of goods, from milk and yogurt to laundry detergent and household cleaners.”

According to Regan, UnWrapp recovers three reusable byproducts from waste that would have previously been disposed of:

• Liquid waste is treated and converted into clean, reusable water
• Remaining food can be sent for composting or energy recovery
• Remaining product packaging is sorted, cleaned and sent to be recycled into new products

“From chain supermarkets and local, independent grocers to supercenters and wholesale distributors, businesses are accountable for the full life cycle of the products they sell, specifically products that are expired, recalled or otherwise unusable,” he notes. “Choosing UnWrapp as a method of disposal versus a landfill guarantees secure destruction, eliminates liability and helps businesses become more sustainable. Landfills are large generators of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas that is over 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide.”

Grocers that implement such a solution are sure to reap rewards, he adds. “Covanta’s UnWrapp service recovers new value from waste that would have otherwise been discarded,” notes Regan. “It also provides a way for grocers to improve their environmental footprint and demonstrate their commitment to safe and sustainable materials handling.”

For more about grocers’ corporate responsibility efforts, read the article in the November 2017 issue of Progressive Grocer.