WASTE MANAGEMENT
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT IN MY WINERY?
CHECKLIST OF QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
ESTABLISHING A SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
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Do you have a waste management program in place at your winery?
1. Is there executive level commitment to a successful waste management program?
2. Is someone assigned to oversee solid waste management at your winery?
3. Do you strategically plan and set annual goals to improve solid waste management?
Does your winery comply with all federal, state, and local regulations, or other certifications?
1. What are the regulations that apply to your winery and are you in compliance?
2. Are you in compliance with the certifications you seek? (LIVE, Salmon Safe, organic)
What is the state of your solid waste management program?
1. Do you have a list of all types of solid waste generated at your winery?
2. Do you use documented methods to monitor and quantify solid waste generated and disposed?
3. Have you identified costs associated with collection, reuse, recycle, or disposal of solid waste?
4. Do you employ documented protocols for handling and disposal of solid waste?
5. Are there contingency plans in place to handle each possible type of spill?
6. What are your waste reduction practices – reduce, re-use, and recycle?
ASSESSING THE TYPES AND QUANTITIES OF SOLID WASTE GENERATED AND DISPOSED
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How much solid waste is generated by each operation in your winery?
1. Processing (crush waste, grape marc, additives & packaging, fermentation lees)
2. Filtration? (lees, pads, cartridges, DE, supply packaging)
3. Ageing? (barrel, wood adjuncts)
4. Bottling? (bottles, capsules, corks, paper, cardboard, pallets, plastic)
5. Lab?
6. Tasting Room, Lunch Room, Offices?
7. Bathrooms, sanitary waste?
8. Facility maintenance?
9. Janitorial maintenance?
10. Grounds maintenance?
11. Electronic waste?
How much solid waste is generated per gallon of wine produced?
1. How does the quantity of solid waste generated compare to industry standards?
How much solid waste generated at your winery is reused?
1. Glass?
2. Paper & cardboard?
3. Plastic?
4. Wood?
5. Cork?
6. Metals?
7. Electronic waste?
How much solid waste generated at your winery is recycled?
1. Biomass? (destemmer waste, grape marc, lees, landscape clippings, sanitary waste
2. Glass?
3. Paper & cardboard?
4. Plastics?
5. Wood?
6. Cork?
7. Alternative closures?
8. Metals?
9. Tartrates?
10. Electronic waste?
11. Sanitary waste?
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How much solid waste generated at your winery goes to land fill?
1. DE
2. Bentonite
3. Biomass? (destemmer waste, grape marc, lees, landscape clippings)
4. Glass?
5. Paper & cardboard?
6. Plastics?
7. Wood?
8. Cork?
9. Alternative closures?
10. Metals?
11. Tartrates?
12. Electronic waste?
How much solid waste generated at you winery goes to the process wastewater system?
1. Process chemicals?
2. Lab chemicals?
3. DE?
4. Bentonite?
5. Grape solids?
6. Tartrates?
Have you assessed the implications of each waste type on your carbon footprint?
1. WRI based green house gas protocol – International Wine Carbon Calculator?
2. LIVE closure CO2 calculator and energy use summary?
3. Bio-mass conversion practices?
EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT INCENTIVES
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Does your winery employ operating procedures specific to waste management?
Are employees trained in these SOP’s for waste management?
Are employees regularly informed about the status of your waste management program?
Do you use employee incentives to motivate active participation in waste management?
Is there a forum for employee input to the waste management plan?
IMPROVING YOUR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
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Do you have commitment from executive through all levels to improve solid waste management?
Is a continuous improvement system imbedded in your solid waste management program?
Do you have annual goals to reduce the solid waste generated?
Do you practice environmentally preferred purchasing? (see preferred purchasing chapter)
Are you doing all you can to reuse, or sell for reuse, solid waste items?
Are you doing all you can with recyclable solid waste?
Are you practicing bio-mass conversion?
Have you sought out industry forums in cooperative effort to solve waste management issues?
RESOUCES:
The World Resources Institute GHG protocol http://www.wri.org/project/ghg-protocol
The Wine Institute wine green house gas protocol http://www.wineinstitute.org/ghgprotocol
Winemakers Federation of Australia http://www.wfa.org.au/environment.htm
Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov/smartway/
The Wine Institute winery water guide http://www.wineinstitute.org/winerywaterguide
Food Miles Calculator http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/staff/files/food_travel072103.pdf
Integrated Production of Wines in South Africa http://www.ipw.co.za/
LIVE http://www.liveinc.org/wineries.html
BioEnergy Washington http://www.bioenergy.wa.gov/
Central Washington Biodiesel http://www.cwbiodiesel.com/
Special Thanks To The Following For Their Contributions: