In an effort to reduce waste in its operations, retail group Pick n Pay has launched a zero-waste supermarket pilot in Stellenbosch.
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This store will pilot a net-zero waste model by diverting food waste to local farmers, composters or waste-to-energy facilities, according to Businesstech. The group says all edible surplus food – that is, food that has passed its sell-by-date but not its use-by-date – is already donated to FoodForward SA, a local non-profit that sources edible surplus food from the supply chain for redistribution to community organisations that serve the poor.
If the pilot is successful, Pick n Pay hopes to replicate the model across more of its nationwide stores. It already has plans to extend the concept to its distribution centres. The retailer adds that the pilot is about more than carbon footprint reduction as it forms part of the broader concept of conscious consumerism and environmental protection with community involvement.
During the previous financial year, Pick n Pay diverted 62% of food waste from landfills via donations and prevented surplus food from going to waste. These efforts are part of its goal to reduce food waste within its organisation by 50% by 2030.
The pilot will be conducted at the Pick n Pay, Stellenbosch Square. The store is collaborating with supplier Farmers Angus to divert about 600kg of food waste per week from landfills. The store’s staff will separate food and organic waste from general waste and recyclables.
‘This is expected to save 1,500 kilograms of carbon emissions weekly – which is equivalent to a savings of 7,000 kilometres of emissions from a standard petrol car,’ according to the group.
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Furthermore, all food not donated for human consumption will be placed in separate bins and sent to Farmer Angus. This includes all food except pork products. To this end, the retailer is trailing a composting solution.
‘Food waste is a significant contributor to carbon emissions. The partnership with Farmer Angus will see the nearby store’s expired food waste diverted from landfills to Farmer Angus’s pigs, effectively turning waste into a valuable resource for farmers,’ says Steffen Burrows, Pick n Pay’s sustainability manager.
‘We are repurposing organic waste as animal feed, effectively closing the loop on waste generation and consumption. What brings this project even more full circle is that we stock Farmer Angus’ products on our shelves.’
‘We want this pilot to serve as a blueprint for future sustainability endeavours across our stores and beyond.’
According to Angus McIntosh, the owner of Farmer Angus, the pigs on the farm will benefit from a new varied diet, which includes everything from fruit and vegetables to expired doughnuts.
‘Not only do the pigs that eat the food waste become cured meat sold in Pick n Pay stores but expired food is no longer going to landfill, which means that no methane will be discharged into the atmosphere from the food waste. Methane has 25 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.’
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