POLLUTION PREVENTION REDUCTION IN WASTE LOAD FROM A FLUID MILK PLANT POLLUTlON PREVENTION PAYS PROGRAM NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

The Pollution Prevention Program provides free technical assistance to North Carolina industries and municipalities on ways to reduce, recycle and prevent wastes before they become pollutants. This non-regulatory program, located in the Division of Environmental Management, addresses water and air quality, toxic materials, and solid and hazardous waste. Designated as the lead agency in waste reduction, the Program works in cooperation with the Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Branch and the Governor's Waste Management Board. The services and assistance available fall into the following categories: Information Clearinghouse. An information data base provides access to literature sources, contacts, and case studies on waste reduction techniques for specific industries or waste streams. Information is also available through customized computer literature searches. Waste reduction reports published by the Program are also available. Specific Information Packages. The staff can prepare facility or waste-stream-specific waste reduction reports for industries and communities. Information provided by the facility is used to identify cost-effective waste reduction options. A short report detailing these options is provided along with references, case studies, and contacts. On-site Technical Assistance. The staff can provide comprehensive technical assistance through facility visits. During an on-site visit, detailed process and waste stream information is collected. The information is analyzed, and a series of waste reduction options are identified. A report is prepared detailing these options and includes literature, contacts, case studies, and vendor information. Outreach. The staff can give presentations on pollution prevention to industries, trade associations, professional organizations, and citizen groups. Depending on the audience, these programs range from an overview of the State's Pollution Prevention Program to in-depth discussions of technologies for specific industries. Challenge Grants. A matching grant program provides funds for the cost of personnel, materials, or consultants needed to undertake pollution prevention projects. Projects eligible for grant funds range from characterizing waste streams in order to identify pollution reduction techniques to conducting in-plant and pilot-scale studies of reduction technologies. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Hunter Jersey Farms, a subsidiary of Harris-Teeter Supermarkets, Inc., is a fluid milk dairy located in Charlotte, NC. The plant discharges its waste to the City of Charlotte municipal treatment system after pretreatment. This project is a feasibility study for the reduction of waste load by the recovery and reuse of previously lost fluid milk. The plant was surveyed to identify sources of milk solids losses from selected production processes. Methods were proposed to reduce or recover and reuse the …