Walmart targets food waste with in-store 'depackaging' solution
Walmart Inc. is rolling out technology to help store associates increase the sustainability of the retailer’s food waste stream.
The discount giant is implementing new technology from organics recycler Denali, as well as simplified processes, to aid associates in more efficiently "depackaging" food waste. Called Zero Depack, the new program removes expired food intended for the waste stream from its packaging.
At each Walmart and Sam’s Club store location equipped with Zero Depack, associates toss expired food items in a receptacle, and Denali technology separates the food from its packaging material with as much as 97% accuracy. This helps associates spend less time supporting the recycling process and more time focusing on customer-facing activities.
In addition, Walmart says making the separation of expired or unsalable food from its packaging easier creates cleaner waste streams and potential sustainability opportunities.
When food waste is picked up from participating Walmart or Sam’s Club stores by Denali, one possible outcome is the conversion of unsalable items into biosolids for multiple farming applications, such as compost or food for livestock. The precise output depends on the nature of the original material.
[READ MORE: Walmart reportedly reducing in-store waste with AI]
"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," R.J. Zanes, VP, facility services, Walmart U.S., said in a corporate blog post.
"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," Zanes said in the blog post. "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."
Walmart fights waste
In 2017, Walmart introduced Project Gigaton, an initiative to avoid one gigaton (one billion metric tons) of carbon dioxide from its global value chain by 2030. Since that time, the discount giant has launched numerous efforts to promote sustainability across its enterprise and among its partners and customers.
Based in Bentonville, Ark., Walmart operates more than 10,500 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries.
