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Conagra Brands’ Waterloo Facility Pursues Zero Waste Recycling

Company receives a ProFood World Sustainability Excellence in Manufacturing Award for second place in the program category.

Working with a new vendor allows Conagra Brands’ Waterloo, Iowa, facility to ship waste instead of landfilling it.
Working with a new vendor allows Conagra Brands’ Waterloo, Iowa, facility to ship waste instead of landfilling it.


At Conagra Brands’ Waterloo, Iowa, facility, “stars and bars” are small pieces of plastic created when formed cups are cut and separated. “Our stars and bars have long been a recycling challenge, because a foil lid stock is attached to the plastic,” states Plant Manager Steve Schultz. Recycling the waste has been a challenge for the past several years, forcing the facility to landfill this material, affecting the site’s landfill diversion efforts.

The Waterloo facility worked with its material supplier, which recently partnered with a recycling center, to invest in equipment to delaminate the foil from the plastic, making both materials more readily recyclable.

“With this new vendor, we are able to divert about 80,000 lb of plastic from the Waterloo, Iowa, landfill per month, which represents over 10% of the site’s total waste,” according to Schultz. “By recycling these materials, we are limiting our impact associated with plastics in landfills.”

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