Every Walmart facility has a part to play in operating more sustainably by making meaningful choices that increase efficiencies, reduce costs and improve the experiences for our associates and customers. For our customers, sustainability comes to life through the services and products we offer, while our associates experience it through our improved ways of working. As an operator for almost 25 years, I’ve seen how integrating more sustainable practices across our operations can drive this and help infuse a sense of pride among our associates.
Located in the back of the store, we’re rolling out new technology and simplified processes to aid associates in more efficiently “depackaging” food waste. Called Zero Depack, the new program removes expired food, which is destined for the waste stream, from its packaging. When they’re built in for our associates, innovations like Zero Depack make the more sustainable action the default action. When separating expired or unsalable food from its packaging is made easier, it’s shocking what follows: cleaner waste streams, happier associates and a host of potential sustainability opportunities.
As someone who wears different hats everyday as an associate, a father of five and an avid outdoorsman, I see these innovations creating better results for our business, people, and our planet.
Then versus now: simplifying waste diversion
According to ReFED, the U.S. generated about 77.6 million tons of food waste in 2022. Rather than wasting food, Walmart seeks to minimize what we waste, then recycle and donate what we can. In order to recycle unsalable packaged foods, the food must first be depackaged. In the past, this was a time-consuming process, requiring associates to manually remove perishable food products — including produce and meats — from their packaging.
Now, we’re working with organics recycler Denali to install depackaging technology, simplifying the entire process. As the nation’s leading recycler of organic materials, Denali’s experience and expertise made them an ideal choice to help launch the program in more than 1,400 Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs as of July 2024.
At each of these locations, the associates’ role in sustainability has become more efficient: They just toss the item in the receptacle, and Denali’s technology separates the food from its packaging material with impressive accuracy. The company says the new machines can separate as much as 97% of all trash from organic food waste. This means our associates will spend less time supporting the recycling process and more time doing what they’re best at – helping our customers and members.
When better means more sustainable
This simpler, tech-powered process isn’t just better for our associates. Denali’s depackaging process also supports Walmart’s long-term sustainability objectives.
When food waste is picked up from participating Walmart stores or Sam’s Clubs by Denali, it begins its journey to a potential new life, including converting unsalable items into useful biosolids for multiple farming applications. For example, anything from a big compost pile to food for livestock. While the precise output will depend on the nature of the original material, our collaboration with Denali will help keep this waste out of landfills.
And the efficiency gained is not lost on our operators. On a recent trip to an organic waste recycling facility, they saw that a single Denali truck had collected organic waste from 18 different Walmart stores, weighing in at a whopping 11 tons. Much of that organic waste has the potential to become something more valuable, including a nutrient-rich product for farmers. Ultimately, depackaging food waste using Denali’s technology and processes across our stores and clubs is good for everyone: our associates, our communities, and the planet. Talk about a win/win/win.
Source – Walmart
