Dive Brief:

• Cargill announced that its Hazleton, PA, site, a meat-processing facility, is the company’s first one verified as landfill-free. 
• The plant processes more than 10 million pounds of meat every month. 
• The facility was verified by NSF International as landfill-free. "Everyone at Hazleton is proud to be part of this achievement," said Aaron Humes, the plant's general manager, in a statement.

Dive Insight:

In 2012, Cargill was sending 1,500 tons of bio-solids, paper, plastic and other waste to landfills for disposal. In 2013, workers began recycling at the company; within five months, the volume of waste going to landfills was reduced by 280 tons, saving the company $30,000.

By 2015, the company began converting plastic into energy and food waste into other products, and eventually used or diverted all of the waste generated at the plant, resulting in the facility achieving landfill-free status.