Waste reduction milestone for UK drinks vending factories - Mars Drinks

March 24, 2010 - PRLog -- As a manufacturer of 3,700 drinks vending machines and 870,000 drinks per year (UK only in 2009), Mars Drinks (www.marsdrinks.co.uk) understands the importance of reducing waste in its manufacturing processes.

Reflecting its commitment to sustainable business practices, Mars Drinks has just achieved zero production waste being sent to landfill for its drinks factories in Basingstoke, reducing its waste production sent to landfill from 600 tons per year to zero.

Over the last three years the factories, which manufacture KLIX drinks vending machines and KLIX and FLAVIA drinks products, have been reviewing each stage of their manufacturing process to find alternative ways to either re-use or recycle materials.

This is yet another sustainability milestone for Mars Drinks, forming part of its ‘Thirsty for Change’ strategy to help reduce its own impact on the environment and that of its customers. With the emphasis on making its own operations as sustainable as possible, eliminating waste sent to landfill is an important achievement.

Peter Ramsay, environmental manager for Mars Drinks, has been leading the zero to landfill initiative in the factories. He describes some of the techniques that Mars Drinks uses when dealing with the by-products of the production process:

“Looking at each step of the manufacturing process, we have been able to find ways of either reusing or recycling materials – from the refurbishment of the machines to baling our cardboard for re-sale. We also use the Waste To Energy (WTE) process where power is produced and sent back into the national grid for future use.”

Through WTE each year, Mars Drinks is effectively saving enough electricity to power at least 30 homes.

Daniel Vennard, corporate affairs and sustainability director at Mars Drinks comments: “Our commitment to sustainability means we are constantly examining our processes and looking for new ways to improve our performance. Sending zero waste to landfill is just one of the targets we have set ourselves as part of our Thirsty for Change programme and we’re committed in terms of budget and resources to ensure we continue to find innovative ways to improve the way we work, as well as supporting our customers in these areas.”

To find out more please visit http://www.marsdrinks.co.uk/sustainability.

Contact for further info: Toni O’Sullivan, tosullivan@thebluedoor.com, or Jenifer Davis, jdavis@thebluedoor.com 01252 899969.


Editors Notes:

Mars Drinks (marsdrinks.com) is a segment of Mars, Incorporated, a private, family-owned company founded in 1911 and employing 70,000 associates in 67 countries worldwide.  Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, USA, Mars, Incorporated is one of the world’s largest food companies, generating global revenues of $30 billion annually and operating in six segments that produce some of the world’s leading brands. In addition to the Drinks brands above, popular Mars, Incorporated brands include: in the Chocolate segment, M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY ®, MARS®, MILKY WAY®, and TWIX®; in the Petcare segment, PEDIGREE ®, WHISKAS ®, SHEBA ®, CESAR ® and ROYAL CANIN ®; in the Wrigley segment, ORBIT ®, EXTRA ®, STARBURST ®, DOUBLEMINT ®, and SKITTLES ®; in the Food segment, UNCLE BEN’S ®, DOLMIO®, ELBY®, MASTERFOODS ® and SEEDS OF CHANGE®; and in the Symbioscience segment, COCOAPROTM, WISDOM PANELTM MX, and SERAMIS®.

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