CASE STUDY: the Kroger Company

CASE STUDY: The Kroger Company

In addition to pairing local haulers with national companies, the William-Thomas Group develops sustainable waste management solutions for companies by using various progressive recycling options and techniques including supplementing feedstock, composting, energy-from-waste in addition to more traditional recycling methods.

THE CHALLENGE For the last two years, WTG has partnered with the Kroger Company to help their manufacturing plants reach its zero direct landfill goals by 2014. Zero direct landfill means that no waste from the facility is sent to landfill. All waste materials are recycled, reused, repurposed, composted, fed, digested or incinerated for energy production.

THE RESULTS & THE IMPACT WTG currently manages 10 of Kroger’s 32 manufacturing plants, which produce many of the Kroger- brand products found in their stores. In the past six months, five of these plants have been converted to zero direct landfill, diverting over 8,200 tons of waste from landfills throughout the United States. The organic wastes are used as animal feed, fertilizer and compost while other commodities are sold while the residual waste, typically comprising of less than 5 percent is sent to an energy-from-waste facility.

Since partnering with WTG, Kroger manufacturing plants have seen a 66 percent reduction in the amount of waste materials sent to landfills. The company plans to convert another two to three plants to zero direct landfill by the end of 2012.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING “WTG made it easy; they had available resources to take care of food waste and materials that are difficult to recycle,” said Shawn Wright, manager at Kroger.

ABOUT KROGER Kroger, one of the world’s largest retailers, employs more than 339,000 associates who serve customers in 2,425 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 31 states under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Jay C, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s. The company also operates 789 convenience stores, 337 fine jewelry stores, 1,109 supermarket fuel centers and 38 food processing plants in the U.S. For more information please visit kroger.com.