Branston Ltd reduces mains water usage by more than half
POTATO company Branston Ltd has installed a 1 million water recycling plant at its Ilminster site and is already reducing its mains water usage by thousands of litres a day
Ian Wait, general manager at the Branston site, said: To wash potatoes which come into the plant from local producers, we were using a mix of borehole and mains water. This topped around 79 cubic metres each day so we decided to look at the way we used water on site and how we could reduce our mains water usage.
By working with several local agencies, we have successfully created a water recycling unit which, after just a few months of being up and running, is reducing our mains water usage by an incredible 52%.
Not only that, but the plant has a specialised chilling system which keeps the water at 8 to 10 degrees Celsius which is the ideal temperature for washing potatoes.
Branstons new recycling system treats the waste water from washing potatoes by removing the soil. The water then passes through a state-of-the-art membrane bioreactor for further filtration. The recycled water is then stored and used on site to wash potatoes.
Branston fully expects mains water savings to increase over the coming months and is aiming for a 60% reduction. Not only is Branston now using less mains water for washing potatoes but it is putting less effluent back into the public sewer. The recycling unit is also allowing Branston to put cleaner water back into the sewer.
Branston received 55,000 in funding from the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg project Water Adaptation is Valuable for Everybody (WAVE), a partnership project supported by Somerset County Council and The UK Farming and Advisory Group (FWAG) which is helping Branston to reduce its effluent discharge by at least 80%.
Councillor David Hall, cabinet member for Strategic Planning and Economic Development at Somerset County Council, said: We are pleased to work with farmers to help reduce water consumption.
With hotter drier summers being forecast for the future, water consumption is something that farmers are becoming very aware of. Through the WAVE project we are able to claim up to 50% of the costs back from Europe and Branston is one of five demonstration projects locally being funded through this particular project.
The water recycling plant is part of a larger commitment by Branston to make it more sustainable. It follows the success of Branstons sister site in Lincolnshire where a water recycling plant and anaerobic digestion plant have been installed.
Branston projects director Vee Gururajan said: As a company which relies on the environment, Branston is keen to focus on reducing the companys impact on the environment and lowering its carbon emissions.
After successful changing the way we do things at our head office in Lincolnshire, and installing a number of green initiatives, we are now looking to make changes at all our UK sites.
Branston was the first company in produce to receive ISO 14001 accreditation at its three sites in Somerset, Lincolnshire and Scotland. In 2008, Branston became the first company in the food sector to get the Carbon Trust Standard in recognition of its environmental initiatives.
About Branston Ltd
Branston Ltd was set up as a co-operative of Lincolnshire farmers in 1968. The company grew and became a limited company. Today, Branston is privately-owned and one of the UKs biggest potato buyers, packers and distributors turning over 110 million in 2008.
Branston has sites in Lincolnshire, Somerset and Scotland. Across the UK, the company employs more than 600 people, with over 300 at its Lincoln site. In 1990, Branston began working with Tesco and is now one of the supermarkets top fresh produce suppliers. Branston branched out into prepared vegetables in 2005 and opened its own 4 million prepared foods factory in 2009. Branston was the first food producer in the country to receive the Carbon Trust Standard in recognition of its environmental initiatives, which have resulted in a reduction in its carbon intensity over a three year period. In 2010, Branston opened its anaerobic digestion plant that turns waste potatoes into electricity, part of a 2 million investment in green technologies at its Lincoln site.