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Nestlé halves water usage in Mossel Bay, South Africa
20.08.2010 09:57 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
With new equipment costing around ZAR 1,2 million (over CHF 175,000) to enable the facility to achieve the water and energy savings, water usage was cut from 25,000 kilolitres to 11,500 kilolitres per month, recorded from October 2009 to May 2010.
Water usage per tonne of product produced was reduced from 17 kilolitres per tonne product in 2009 to 8.2 kilolitres per tonne produced in 2010 so far.
Alderlady Marie Ferreira, the Executive of Mayor of Mossel Bay, praised the drive to save water.
She said: «I am absolutely delighted at the water savings of more than 50 per cent achieved by the factory and the way that responsible water management has been made an integral part of their operations. The Company has demonstrated what responsible corporate citizenship is.»
The water saving project consists of a four-pronged approach including an awareness campaign, measurement of water usage, an action plan and continuous improvement and advertising of the results.
Under the initiative, a water usage measurement system is used to monitor water in the various sections of the plant and corrective action is undertaken when necessary.
The significant saving of municipal water use is due to the recovery and use of condensate from the evaporation process. This recovered water is used for various processes, for example, washing the exteriors of the Company’s fleet of milk tankers which saves 35 kilolitres of municipal water daily. The recovered water will also be used as boiler water and refrigeration water.
In addition, several immediate water saving measures, such as stopping the watering of gardens, shortening automated wash times, modifying hosepipe nozzles to reduce water flow, reducing shower-head water flow and reducing the pressure in ablution blocks, were introduced. Employees were also advised on water saving measures at home.
The water saving project is an attempt to support the town of Mossel Bay which is experiencing the worst drought in 132 years. The town’s main water source, the local Wolwedans Dam, is now less than 20% full and it is expected to run empty in October 2010, if there is insufficient rain.
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