Turning Waste into Water: The Role of Rendering in Water Reclamation
When it comes to the idea of food waste, many of us likely picture mountains of physical discard at our landfills. However, 60% of the parts of the animal that we choose not to eat are comprised of water, so food waste within the meat industry often leads to significant water waste as well.
Fortunately, with the help of rendering, recycled organics contribute to both large-scale water reclamation and protection.
What Is Water Reclamation?
Just like the rendering process itself, water reclamation is a form of recycling. Essentially, through a series of filtration and treatment, used water is thoroughly cleaned and returned to the environment — helping to reduce the stress of water scarcity through resource conservation. While not produced for consumption, reclaimed water can be used in a wide variety of applications, from irrigation to car washing.
Rendering’s Role in Water Recovery
Within rendering, animal by-products are heated to high temperatures, resulting in the evaporation of water. Once collected, this evaporated and subsequently treated water contributes to as many as 4 billion gallons of clean and safe reclaimed water each year, proudly returned to our rivers and streams.
Rendering Protects Water Systems
While we’ve learned that rendering significantly contributes to the reclamation of clean water, it also helps to protect the integrity of our wastewater systems.
Rendering not only transforms and recycles animal by-products, but also used cooking oil. Wondering how? Through renderer-restaurant partnerships, 4.4 billion pounds of used cooking oil are collected within the US and Canada each year and, with the help of oil rendering, are recycled into sustainable biofuel. In fact, more than 15% of the nation’s biodiesel and renewable diesel is made from recycled cooking oil.
By collecting and thoughtfully handling used cooking oil and grease through organized pickup, these materials are prevented from otherwise being improperly discarded in our sewer and wastewater systems — avoiding devastating clogs and contamination.
Water Protection on A Local Scale
Luckily, there are steps that each of us can take to contribute to the protection and conservation of our local water sources and systems as well. From turning the sink off while we brush our teeth to avoiding small, frequent loads of laundry, like rendering, we can each support and contribute to our communities’ water sustainability.
