The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association Recognizes Tyson Foods commitment to sustainability
The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) awarded the 2020 CLEAN WATER AWARD to Tyson Foods (NYSE: TSN) facilities in New Holland, Pennsylvania, and Robards, Kentucky. The annual award recognizes poultry facilities that go above and beyond in sustainable wastewater treatment and water reuse.
“We’re committed to delivering sustainable food to a growing world,” said Dean Banks, president and incoming CEO of Tyson Foods. “Fulfilling this mission requires protecting and respecting natural resources, including the land and water that we depend on to operate.”
“I’m especially proud of our teams in New Holland and Robards for their hard work and dedication to conserving this natural resource we depend on for our business,” said Kevin Igli, senior vice president of sustainability and chief environmental officer for Tyson Foods. “Water is a precious resource and essential to producing safe and high-quality food, which is why we have water conservation teams at every Tyson Foods facility focused on water stewardship.”
A committee of industry engineers, university personnel and industry media chose the winners. The awards are given in two wastewater categories, full treatment and pretreatment for outstanding wastewater treatment facilities. Full treatment wastewater operations include plants that treat wastewater in accordance with permits which allow treated water to be put back into a receiving stream or a land application system. Pretreatment wastewater includes facilities that pretreat water to be sent to a publicly owned, full treatment facility for further treatment. To be eligible, a facility must have a minimum of two years of no significant non-compliance, notices of violations or any other type of enforcement action.
The 2020 Full Treatment Winner was Tyson Foods’ New Holland, Pennsylvania facility. Since setting a baseline in 2015, the facility has reduced water usage by 47.5 million gallons per year, or nearly 16%, from the baseline. To reduce carbon emissions, the facility partnered with EDL Energy to increase use of landfill gas as a fuel source instead of natural gas. Waste from the facility is recycled at the Lancaster Waste-to-Energy facility rather than going to a landfill, to further offset carbon emissions, by approximately 2,600 tons. In 2019, this process generated approximately 1,591,632 kilowatt hours of renewable energy. In addition, the facility emphasizes training for staff and supports local environmental protection efforts and wildlife management projects.
The 2020 Pretreatment Winner was Tyson Foods’ Robards, Kentucky facility. The processing plant uses two dissolved air flotation (DAF) units in the water treatment process that remove sand and grit to help preserve equipment, like pumps and piping, in turn extending their life and saving time and money.
The plant saves water by using water-efficient faucets and a water re-use system that collects, filters and recirculates water for non-food contact uses to offset fresh-water demand. The rendering plant, that processes chicken byproducts, not consumed by humans, into wholesome pet food products, also transitioned to energy-efficient lighting and partners with numerous vendors to recycle and reuse cardboard, plastic, scrap metal, pallets, used oil, etc.
The Honorable Mention for Pretreatment award recognized the work at Tyson Foods’ Berryville, Arkansas, facility.
“We received many great applications for this year’s Clean Water Awards, and they should all be applauded,” said Greg Hinton, Rose Acre Farms, and USPOULTRY chairman. “The quality of the applications received is representative of our members’ steadfast commitment to wastewater treatment and the conservation of our earth’s natural resources. Congratulations to this year’s winners.”
