Environmental considerations (including waste management)
Key environmental considerations for a slaughterhouse/meat business
include:
· Management of liquid wastes from the slaughterhouse operations
· Management of solid waste from the slaughterhouse operations
· Manure management associated
with confined animal production facilities
· Other considerations (e.g., potential
odors, stormwater management)
· Additional information regarding pig production waste
management
1. Management of liquid wastes from the slaughterhouse operations
· Liquid waste from a slaughtering/meat processing facility consists primarily of blood, water and effluent from wash-down (including
disinfectants), and wastewater from on-site bathrooms. The blood and effluent generally has very high BOD levels (Biochemical
Oxygen Demand is an indicator of pollutant levels), which require additional treatment before discharge to water bodies.
· The quantity of wastewater to be treated is directly correlative to the live weight of animals slaughtered and the amount of wash
water used for sanitation activities.
· The ability (or inability) of a septic
system to accommodate the liquid waste stream will be determined by both the quantity and quality (BOD level) of the liquid waste
stream.
· Treatment options might include: an on-site septic system and drain
field, an anaerobic digestion system, grease/fat traps, and/or discharge to a municipal wastewater sewer (for subsequent treatment
at the municipality’s wastewater treatment plant).
§ For discharge into
a municipal system, the loading rates (quantity, quality) must be evaluated in advance to ensure that the system can effectively accommodate
the liquid waste stream.
§ An on-site septic system must be designed to reflect both
the waste stream and the environmental characteristics of the specific site.
§ For
an anaerobic digestion system, it is important to realize the conservation of matter…the same amount of effluent going into a digester
(e.g., gallons/day) must exit the digester, and the digester effluent must be effectively managed.
§ Grease/fat traps are only partially effective; both the captured material and the trap effluent must subsequently be managed effectively
(using the same options described above).
· A liquid waste management plan must be
developed for a specific site by a qualified engineering firm. The liquid waste management system will likely need to be permitted
before construction can begin.
· Some additional information regarding design of liquid
waste management systems for slaughterhouses include:
§ Reduction in Waste Load From
a Meat Processing Facility, by Randolph Packing Company in cooperation with
§ Managing waste in abattoirs and meat processing facilities, Australian Industry Group: http://pdf.aigroup.asn.au/environment/23_Meat_Processing_Abattoir_Waste_Reduction_Factsheet.pdf
§ Livestock and Slaughter Waste Management – a World Bank Study: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTUSWM/Resources/463617-1205264154387/Marlow2.pdf
§ Code of Practice for the Slaughter and Poultry Processing Industries; by British Columbia Ministry of the Environment: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/industrial/regs/codes/slaughter/pdf/fs1.pdf
2. Management of solid waste from the slaughterhouse operations
· Solid materials produced
during the slaughtering process include heads, hides, and offal. If secondary markets can be arranged for any of these materials,
then they become “co-products”. Otherwise, the material will be considered waste, and will require some type of disposal.
§ The estimated quantity of solid waste generated by a small slaughtering facility
is approximately 5,500 pounds/day for a 16-head cattle slaughtering operation (4,100 pounds/day for a 100-head pig slaughtering operation).
§ Note: all of these items are biological materials and if left in the open will decompose, leading to odors, flies, and other potential
nuisances; potential impacts on surface, ground, and coastal waters; and potential human health impacts. Thus, it is essential
that these materials be managed effectively so as to avoid such consequences.
§ Relevant
information sources regarding management of slaughterhouse waste includes:
· Disposal
of Meat Production Waste; Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General; http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/about/pubs/meatinspectionreport/chapter_7.pdf
· Urban Waste Management - Documents and Info Sheets,
· Managing waste in abattoirs and meat processing facilities; Australian Industry Group; EPA Victoria; http://pdf.aigroup.asn.au/environment/23_Meat_Processing_Abattoir_Waste_Reduction_Factsheet.pdf
· Management of Animal Carcasses, Tissue, and Related Byproducts; 3rd International Symposium; July 2009; http://www.umext.maine.edu/byproductssymposium09/
· Theoretically, there are several potential options available for managing slaughterhouse wastes in an island context. Let’s
briefly consider each option:
§ Bury the material on private land: This is a
common approach for “back-yard” slaughtering operations. However, this is not a feasible option for a commercial operation on
a small island because the amount of material generated per day is large and burying would likely have unacceptable water quality
impacts.
§ Landfills: Treat the material as municipal solid waste, where it will
be buried in the approved landfill. This is a possible option, although it would likely be undesirable from the landfill owner’s
and operator’s perspective (high BOD material, strong vector for pests and microbes, and reduces landfill life).
· Relevant information sources regarding land-filling in
o
o Guam Environmental Protection Agency; http://www.gepa.guam.gov/
o Layon Municipal Sanitary Landfill; http://geovalinc.com/LayonMunicipalSanitaryLandfill.pdf
· Relevant information sources regarding land-filling in CNMI include:
o Solid Waste; CNMI
Division of Environmental Quality; http://www.deq.gov.mp/article.aspx?secID=11&artID=31
o Saipan’s Solid Waste Management System; Government Engineering; December 2005; http://www.govengr.com/ArticlesNov05/saipan.pdf
o
§ Offshore ocean disposal: Ocean disposal entails taking the material out to a suitable distance offshore and dumping the waste into
the ocean. This has long been the practice for seafood processing waste, and some (perhaps all) of the material will eventually
be recycled through the ocean food chain. This option would be subject to approval and regulation by the Guam/CNMI governments
and the US EPA.
· Relevant information sources regarding ocean dumping include:
o Federal Environmental Regulations: Subchapter H – Ocean Dumping: http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/regslaws40hoceandump.php
o Summary of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/laws/mprsa.html
o Research underway: Examine and evaluate best disposal options for all three main islands in the CNMI. This would include benefit/cost
analysis of a) offshore ocean disposal and b) conventional treatment and reuse; Water and Environmental Research Institute of the
Western Pacific; University of Guam; http://www.weriguam.org/usgs-sponsored-research/commonwealth-of-the-northern-mariana-islands/page/research-priorities
§ Rendering: Rendering is the process of grinding the material down to small pieces, then cooking the material to a point where it is
biologically stable, then drying the material as necessary to facilitate transport of the product to markets where it can be sold
as animal feed. The rendering process is energy intensive, and the option is dependent on having markets for the products. Setting up a rendering operation for a slaughterhouse would essentially entail a separate business enterprise.
§ Anaerobic digestion: Anaerobic digestion is, at least in theory, an attractive option for an island context in that it results
in a biogas byproduct which could be used as a source of renewable energy. However, anaerobic digestion of animal parts is technically
difficult compared to the digestion of manure, the amount of biogas produced is limited and may be suitable only for heating water
for facility clean up and wash down, and the liquid and sludge effluents resulting from the digester will need to be further managed
(typically applied to agricultural lands to enhance crop growth).
· Relevant information
sources regarding anaerobic digestion include:
o Biological Treatment of Fish Processing
Wastes in the Tropics;
o Mesophilic anaerobic digestion: first option for waste treatment in tropical regions; Jain R&D Laboratory,
o Anaerobic Digestion in Sustainable Bioenergy
Chains; thesis by Claudia Patricia Pabón Pereira,
§ Composting: This could be one of the most attractive waste management options, in that it will affectively manage the material
and create a useful, marketable compost product with significant agronomic value. However, substantial land area and vegetative
material would be required for the composting operation, and the facility would have to be located in an area with minimum potential
for odor-related nuisance issues.
· The amount of vegetative material required as a bulking agent for liquid waste streams is roughly 20:1 (volumetric basis). Thus, for manure from a 50 pig/day slaughtering operation (3 days/week), roughly 30 tons/week of vegetative material would be required for effective composting. The material would have to be turned periodically (roughly once per week) for up to 12 weeks to ensure effective biological degradation of the material and pathogens.
· The amount of vegetative material required
as a bulking agent for semi-solid waste streams such as paunch is at least 10:1 and perhaps as high as 20:1(volumetric basis). Thus, for slaughterhouse waste from a 30 cow per week slaughtering operation (3 days/week), roughly 75 tons/week of vegetative material
would be required for effective composting at a 10:1 ratio.
· Relevant information
sources regarding composting include:
o Carcass Management: Economically and Environmentally
Sustainable Practices;
o Composting Animal Mortalities; Minnesota Department of Agriculture; http://www.mda.state.mn.us/news/publications/animals/compostguide.pdf
o links to mortality composting at
o “Slaughter Waste Composting Demonstration Project, September 2006”, Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia:
http://www.agenergyenterprises.com/feasibility/slaughter_waste_composting_01.pdf
o “Slaughter Waste Composting Demonstration Project, December 2008”, Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia:
http://www.agenergyenterprises.com/feasibility/slaughter_waste_composting_02.pdf
o “Composting of slaughterhouse waste material and dead stock”, Food Science
o “On-site composting of meat by-products”, October 2001,
o “Natural Rendering: Composting Livestock Mortality and Butcher Waste”, Cornell Waste Management Institute: http://www.agenergyenterprises.com/feasibility/slaughter_waste_composting_05.pdf
3. Manure management associated with confined animal production facilities
· Manure produced
from animals in the holding pens will have to be removed periodically (weekly?).
· The quantity of manure produced will be determined by the number of animals in the pens and the average holding time. Estimates
of daily manure production for different animals include:
§ Beef cattle – approximately
65 pounds per day per 1000 pounds live weight
§ Pigs - approximately 65 pounds per
day per 1000 pounds live weight
§ Goats / sheep - approximately 40 pounds per day per
1000 pounds live weight
§ Manure production rates were obtained from the USDA NRCS
Agricultural Waste Management Field Handbook, Chapter 4 – Agricultural Waste Characteristics: http://policy.nrcs.usda.gov/OpenNonWebContent.aspx?content=17768.wba
4. Other considerations (e.g., stormwater management, potential odors)
· Stormwater Best
Management Practices for CNMI and
· Effective site design and landscaping is required to ensure that runoff from animal holding pens do not enter into and contaminate
surface or ground waters.
· There will be some animal odors
from the holding pens, so site design should consider prevailing winds in terms of down wind odor concerns.
5. Additional information regarding waste management from confined pig production
· An
important factor to consider for pig producers is manure management. Because the
· Accordingly,
pig suppliers must understand these waste management issues and have compliant waste management techniques/systems in place (or at
least planning underway).
§ Effective pig waste management systems are essential for
sustained operation of the pig farm.
§ Effective pig waste management systems are also
essential to ensure an uninterrupted supply chain. Two sources of information on this topic would be the USDA-NRCS office in Saipan
and the
NRCS: http://www.pia.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/office_directory.asp?office=SaipanSC
NMC: http://www.nmcnet.edu/
· Driven by water quality (and human health) concerns, in 2001
a piggery waste management program was initiated in
§ Manure
and composting at the
§ Piggery Manure Management in