Carando Foods Achieves Zero Waste to Landfill Status

Over the years, some companies have placed an increased emphasis on being environmentally friendly. From choosing suppliers that take back packaging for reuse to reducing paper waste by making double-sided copies and emailing or posting information on an announcement board. Still, even with all the efforts they put into being mindful of their impact on the environment, they still eventually send some trash to the landfill. Is it possible to operate efficiently without filling up landfills?

On July 9, 2014 Carando Foods of Springfield, MA and John Morrell Food Group were recognized by Smithfield Foods, Inc., the largest pork producer and processor in the United States, for doing just that. Carando is now creating zero waste that ends up in a landfill. Denis Punch, who works in human resources for Carando, spearheaded the plan on February 1, 2013. With the help of USA Hauling & Recycling, Carando is able to reuse or recycle 100% of material that would otherwise be filling up a landfill.

Carando, Mark, Dennis, Chris — Denis Punch (center) of Carando Foods stands with Chris Roscio (right) and Mark Murren (left) of USA Hauling & Recycling holding the award presented by Smithfield Foods, Inc. for achieving zero waste to landfill status on July 9, 2014.

Punch, with the help of Chris Roscio and Mark Murren of USA Hauling & Recycling, created a plan that included all of the following environmentally friendly processes:

Composting (Food scraps & organics recycling)
Standard recycling (Office paper, paper bags, paperboard, newspapers, phone books)
Wood recycling
Cardboard recycling
Plastics recycling
Metal recycling (Cans, containers)
Aluminum (Cans, foil, pans)

Since the start of using this program, Carando has been able to recycle 1,915 tons of material that would otherwise have been disposed of in a landfill. Not only has their efforts helped further their “green” operations, it also has saved the company $90,000 in disposal fees since the start of the program.

“It has been a great experience working with Carando Foods. They have dedicated all their efforts in really making a big difference to our environment,” said Roscio, “Their main goal was to make their company a complete landfill free work place and with USA Hauling’s expertise and Carando’s diligence – they succeeded.”