Page 44 - Food&Drink Magazine October 2021

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Innovation for increased flow
Aerofloat designed and installed a wastewater treatment system at the West Lakes Westfield Shopping Centre in South Australia to meet increased flow rates and ensure compliance.
THE wastewater at West Lakes Westfield Shopping Centre had grown substantially and was exceeding 12,000 litres per day. This meant that the series of grease arrestors in place to treat the wastewater prior to sewer discharge was no longer sufficient to meet SA Water’s guidelines.
The Scentre Group contracted Aerofloat to install its patented AeroCIRC M600 DAF to ensure Westfield Shopping Centre met existing demands, whilst allowing for future business growth at
the site.
access to the system from the roof,” said Anderson.
Wastewater generated at the site was typically from on-site cooking facilities and general dish washing. The AeroCIRC DAF system treated the high concentration of suspended solids (SS), and fats, oils and grease (FOG) in the food outlet wastewater. Aerofloat’s design was similar to a conventional DAF unit, with a rotating scraper arm. The differentiation was the AeroCIRC DAF included a 60-degree hopper bottom which allowed the unit to be
“ ... the AeroCIRC DAF included a 60-degree hopper bottom which allowed the unit to be completely self-cleaning...”
Aerofloat’s general manager of operations Michael Anderson said Aerofloat was able to customise a system to fit the tight space available at the site.
“The footprint was quite small, but we had a lot of height to work with, so we custom- built stainless steel tanks that were quite tall.”
Maintaining the system was also considered in the design.
“We created a platform that was suspended off the top of one ofthetanks,allowingservicing
completely self-cleaning, increasing efficiencies for the site long-term.
Aerofloat’s design at the Westfield shopping centre was designed to handle the wastewater generated from the existing restaurant and fast food outlets, as well as the proposed extensions to the fresh food area. The system has the capacity to treat peak wastewater f low rates of up to 36 cubic metres per hour, well abovethecurrentflowrates. ✷
Waste less and keep it fresh
Closure specialist Zip-Pak is providing solutions to the industry challenges of balancing initiatives around food and packaging waste while also addressing the need for product integrity and consumer convenience.
AS the flexible packaging segment continues to grow, Zip-Pak sees itself playing a larger role in supporting the industry to contain waste, drive sustainability and increase convenience, while supporting packaging’s primary purpose to preserve, protect and contain the product.
ITW Zip-Pak sales manager Australia & New Zealand Michael Debono says it has been alarming to learn that organics contribute roughly 20 million tonnes of the 64 million tonnes going to landfill.
Food waste is the largest organics contributor, and most
of this waste is generated in the household. Identifying ways to avoid or reduce this is important, and Debono says Zip-Pak technology can help.
“One simple way to upgrade your pouch packaging and keep your contents fresh is the addition of resealable zipper technology. At Zip-Pak we offer proven reclosure solutions for flexible packaging,” he says.
“We know once a flexible pack is open, there is a challenge to retain freshness, protection and containment of the primary contents. To manage this, the consumer may transfer the
contents into another package eliminating brand recognition while creating further packaging waste,” Debono adds.
“Adding a resealable zipper onto a flexible package is a great way to avoid products being decanted and ensuring the flexible pouch is the primary pack, able to be open and closed multiple times over or until the contents are consumed.”
According to Debono, Zip-Pak’s Pour and Lok zipper is a good option for brand owners who are considering shifting their flexible package into a resealable and reusable
44 | Food&Drink business | October 2021 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au