• Tuesday, March 19, 2024
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Addressing waste management in Nigeria’s manufacturing concerns

La-Casera-factory

As industrial concerns grow for production to meet up consumers demand, waste management and disposal especially in manufacturing sector, has become more appropriate. This report looks at how some companies; including La Casera Company are engaging proper waste disposal methods through quality control.

Globally, carbonated beverages sector is one of the fastest growing sectors with the estimated market worth of $392.6 billion in 2016, according to report by Grand View Research. In the recent past, the industry has undergone major changes regarding product innovations and offerings and the market is expected to reach $ 412.5 billion by 2023, the research forecasts.

Europe dominates the global carbonated beverage drink market. North America and Asia-Pacific are expected to witness the fastest growth owing to increased disposable income, growing young population and changing food habit preferences in countries, like China, India, South Korea, and Japan. India and Nigeria have been showing the strongest growth regarding value consumption, in the last five years.

Countries have witnessed rapid urban growth globally, increased economic and technological development in the past few years and these have also brought about increasing industrial development coupled with various forms of environmental pollution. Since generation of waste is an integral part of industrial activities, it is obvious therefore, that industrial growth apparently leads to an increase in the production of industrial waste. These wastes are produced in the form of solids, liquids, gases and air-borne particulate matter.

The issue of industrial waste has become one of the most crucial matters confronting society in general and industries in particular. Public concern on these issues continues to be expressed daily through the media. Advocates of environmental protection have drawn the attention of the national policy-makers to the health hazards and potential dangers caused by the inadequate management of waste.

In Nigeria, many industrialized cities still have inadequate waste management; poorly controlled open dumps and illegal roadside dumping remain a problem. Such dumping destroys scenic resources, pollutes soil and water resources and habitation. This situation is probably a social problem as much as a physical one; many people apparently are simply disposing their wastes as inexpensively and as quickly as possible. Many, in fact, may not see dumping their garbage as an environmental problem. If nothing else, this is a tremendous waste of resources; much of what is dumped could be recycled or reused.

During treatment and disposal of Industrial drinks, the biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and its suspended solids (SS) are three functional parameters most regularly monitored and most often used to evaluate the performance efficiency of waste water treatment plant.

For industries, one of the greatest challenges facing modern corporate managers is that of the employment of efficiency for the maximum use of available raw materials waste minimization. This is very vital because waste generated during the production process is a silent partaker of dividend sharing without making any contribution to the equity base of any organization. In the management of materials for production, adequate attention is paid to the flow of the required materials into the organization to the point where these materials are converted into company’s end product.

For finished products to get to the customer, a lot of regulatory control efforts come to play in the production process. This is aimed at reducing the production costs to the barest minimum, while not mortgaging the quality of the products, for the benefit of the customer and the organization itself. The Quality Control System is a basic regulatory medium in production circle.

Presently, there is a global tailoring of economies into competitiveness in a customer-oriented fashion. Organizations’ survival now hinges on customer satisfaction. A corresponding management technique –Total Quality Management (TQM) is also in place to meet customer satisfaction. The concepts of Total Quality Management like continuous improvement and the zero-defect call are apt solutions and guides to effective waste management. Total Quality Management guarantees waste eradication, high quality and increased profitability. In The La Casera Company PLC, for instance, strenuous efforts are made to reduce production waste to the barest minimum and also to attempt to eradicate it through Quality Control checks. The bottling machines are state of art facilities with high efficiencies that are automated to reduce process waste generation. But how well has the organization achieved its quest in effective waste disposal and management?

The concept of treatment engaged by TLCC on disposal management internally involves total inventory of all waste streams, categorization of the waste, recycling or reuse of waste, waste treatments to reduce the risks and safe disposal of the waste. Solid waste management hierarchy ranks the most preferable ways to address solid waste. Source reduction or waste prevention, which includes reuse, is the best approach TLCC uses to manage solid waste.

This means reducing the amount of trash discarded by making maximum use of raw materials. Once waste is created, recycling which includes composting is one of the most effective methods of reducing the amount of material in the waste stream.

Emmanuel Adeku, Quality Assurance Manager, The La Casera Company Plc, explained that the La Casera Company understands the importance of effective effluent treatment for food and beverage manufacturers, and realizes there are very different challenges in these industries to solve in order to remain compliant and profitable. We have the experience and technologies to address waste disposal and management problems that have helped us achieve all our goals, including regulatory compliance and the reduction of costs.

“Comprehensive technologies and experience provide solutions for treatment of our waste water from pre-treatment to direct-discharge to the public drain. We ensure that all water returned to the natural environment is treated to the level that supports aquatic life. Treated water released into the environment is suitable for use in agriculture as well as supporting plant and animal life. These turnkey solutions helped us realize long-term efficiencies, stringent environmental compliance and overall positive impact to our bottom lines.

Also, we are in collaboration with our dealers in the collection and recovery of post-consumer Best-Before products as part of our extended producer responsibility initiative. We have integrated sustainability and corporate responsibility into every part of our operations, building long-term shared value for our business and stakeholders.”

On the external efforts toward environmental safety, the Senior Brand Manager, La Casera, Ruth Ode, explained that TLCC has structured its implementation programmes in three categories: One: Communication and advocacy intervention to educate the populace on proper waste disposal of PET. Two: Partnership with recyclers or off-takers to convert the collected PET to other uses like energy, fibre and textiles. Three: TLCC is also working towards   collection of post-consumer waste PET from the environment through designated collectors and placement of bins in strategic locations;

“Besides this, we have a plan of activities, which includes collection of PET in partnership with identified collectors to retrieve and clear PET from streets, landfills and waterways. We are taking responsibility for the entire life cycle of our products. We are taking measures to engage in public awareness campaigns, selective waste collection education and anti-littering campaigns as we believe that littering of our environment is the major culprit in environmental pollution and once this is addressed, our streets, drainages and waterways will be free from by-products,” she said.

The Senior Brand Manager also revealed that in efforts to better manage plastic waste, TLCC is working on a coalition with other manufacturers in the country and in partnership with the Lagos State Government to develop well-organised collection, sorting and recycling schemes across the state.

“As part of this coalition, TLCC would also work with other major industrial companies to integrate sustainable waste management solutions and advocate improved waste management practices in Nigeria” she said.

Waste management is thoughtful activity every organisation, especially manufacturing concerns should embrace for cleaner environment and healthy living.

 

Daniel Obi