Colyer Watson Fellmongery Ltd

SUMMARY

This business has replaced on trip liners for its containers by reusable liners, saving waste and money, and solving hygiene problems. Ways to reduce skin trimmings waste are being investigated including improved skinning practices and composting. Reusable salt fadges are being explored to reduce the disposal costs of fadges. Deliming of pelts now uses carbon dioxide gas instead of ammonium salts, reducing the toxicity of the effluent.

Business Profile

Fellmongery with 60 staff processing sheep and lamp pelts. This business was part of the Ministry for the Environment's cleaner production demonstration project.

Type(s) of the Project

Material reuse, process modification, resource recovery, waste reduction

Reason for Project

The business was concerned about the amount of waste being created and the quality of its effluent. One-trip liners were not effectively sealed, creating a hygiene problem during transportation of incoming pelts.

PROJECTS

Container Liners

Details
Incoming hides from the North Island were wrapped in liners made of polytene sheeting secured with tape. These liners were unable to be reused and created 4 kg of plastic waste with each rail wagon load. In addition, there was persistent leaking of blood and water into the railway carriage during transportation as the taping was not completely satisfactory.

To address these problems the fellmongery switched to a polyvinychloride (PVC) liner that is strong and easily cleaned for reuse. The new liners are more economical to use, decrease disposal costs, solve the hygiene problem and reduce the businesses' waste output.

Economics
One-trip liners cost $44 each, made up of $39 for the plastic and $5 for the tape. Each year 900 liners were being used, at a total cost of $39,600. In addition, the liners cost $1000 per year to dispose of. In contrast, the capital cost of the reusable liners was $410 each, which gave a total capital cost of $3,690 for nine containers.

The payback period was six weeks, which equates to about 10 trips. The lifespan of the reusable liners is not yet known, as the original nine liners are still being used after 18 months. Any tears, etc, are patched as they occur. The total savings to date is $60,900.

Benefits
Hygiene problems have been eliminated by the reusable liners as no leakage occurs. Fewer raw materials are used to produce the liners. A large quantity of plastic waste is no longer being dumped through the reuse of liners.

Pelt Trimmings Waste

Details
Four tonnes per day of trimmings from the pelts at both the pre- liming and the pickling stages are currently being produced. Colyer Watson is investigating ways to decrease this wastage: Improved skinning practices - discussions have been held with the freezing works that supply the pelts, to reduce the amount of incoming waste. Composting - a full-scale trial of composting the trimmings was conducted with a local freezing works. However, odour problems have led to a temporary suspension of this trial. Pre-limed trimmings - the wool on the pre-lined trimmings is recovered by a mechanical dehairer and sold as low grade wool.

Economics
20 tonnes of trimmings are created per week. Disposing of the trimmings at the landfill costs $720 per week, amounting to $37,440 per year. This cost would be avoided if a satisfactory composting process can be developed. Income would be generated from selling the compost. Wool recovered from the trimmings is also sold; this operation is profitable.

Benefits
Improving the quality of the incoming pelts will decrease the amount of waste created at source. This also raises the value of the pelts for the suppliers.

Composting trimmings would turn a waste product into a valuable by-product, thus reducing the impact of the waste on the receiving environment.

Disposal of Salt Fadges

Details
Colyer Watson uses an average of 30 large polypropylene weave sacks (fadges) a week to bring in industrial grade salt used in the skin pickling process. The fadges are emptied into rotary pickling drums by hoisting them above the drums and slashing the base open.

Discussions are being held with the supplies of the salt to find a fadge that can be opened without cutting. Eventually all salt will be supplied in reusable bags that will be returned for reuse.

Minor details are being worked out at present.

Economics
Although no income will be gained, the business will not need to pay to dispose of 744 fadges per year.

Benefits
Reusing the fadges reduces the amount of new material needed, giving less impact on the environment from manufacturing fadges. Less material is also disposed of. Many other industries use materials that could be supplied in the same reusable container.

Problems
The business was giving the fadges to a local businesses to be stitched and reused a holders, but this outlet has ceased at present.

CO2 Deliming

Details
Deliming is an essential part of leather production. Lamb and sheep pelts are treated with sodium sulphide in order to remove residual wool and to open up the skin structure. The liming mixture must then be washed off the pelts in order for them to be preserved. Previously pelts were washed in water containing ammonium salts. This products waste water contaminated with toxic ammonia.

The new deliming system replaced the ammonium salts with CO2 gas. This forms carbonic acid which dissolves the residual lime, in the same way as rainwater dissolves limestone.

Economics
Capital expenditure to implement the process was $80,000. The payback was calculated to be 2.6 years, but the amount of gas being used is lower than originally estimated, giving a payback period of 1.8 years. After that the chemical savings will amount to $38,000 per years.

Benefits
The major benefit using the new CO2 deliming process is reduced toxicity of the business's waste discharges. Ammoniacal nitrogen has been reduced by 75%.

Applicability to other businesses
Fellmongeries are all starting to look at ways in which they can decrease the impact of their operations on the environment. CO2 deliming is growing in popularity as it enables businesses to expand operations without having to obtain new discharge consents.

Reuse of materials can be applied by almost every business, whether in the form of packaging as in this case, or with input materials to processes. Where to find additional information:

Roger Scott
Manager, Colyer Watson Fellmongery Ltd
P. O. Box 41, Belfast
Christchurch
Phone: 03 323-7155
Fax: 03 323-8256

Tony Passman
Director, Leather & Shoe Research Association (LASRA)
Private Bag
Palmerston North
Phone: 06 355-9028
Fax: 06 354-1185


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Last Updated: July 23, 1996