Day 003 - 30 Jun 94 - Page 29
1 agree, produces a good deal of waste of one kind or
another?
2 A. We do.
3 Q. It uses a good of deal of resources?
A. We do.
4
Q. What are your company's policies in relation to the use
5 and the disposal of waste?
A. The entire thrust of the company regarding waste is
6 reduce, recycle and reuse.
7 Q. Who do those things mean?
A. In a practical sense, maybe an example would work
8 best. From a standpoint of reduce, until about two years
ago we packaged our beverage syrups in plastic jugs, four
9 to a box, covered in cardboard. It created a large amount
of waste. We embarked on a programme of packaging our
10 syrups in bulk, whereby eliminating the plastic jugs
completely, eliminating the outer cardboard completely,
11 delivering syrup to our restaurants in sterile 75 gallon
stainless tanks.
12
Q. Is that a thing like a petrol tanker?
13 A. That is the principle. 75 gallons is not what you
would find at a petrol station, much much smaller, but
14 certainly manageable and capable of being kept in good
order. We have also in terms of packaging made a
15 concerted effort to use recycled materials wherever we
can, being also conscious we do not want recycled
16 materials in contact with food.
17 Q. Why not?
A. Well, it makes me nervous I guess. The here does not
18 say you cannot, but I think it is common sense and good
business to keep virgin pulp, virgin paper in contact with
19 food that people are in fact going to consume. We have
made that effort to sort of layer our packaging, where
20 there is virgin material on the inside and the outside and
the middle becomes recycled post-manufactured material.
21
Q. Can I ask you separately about paper and polystyrene foam
22 in relation to recycling? Have you attempted to recycle
the polystyrene you use?
23 A. We embarked on a project with our supplier of expanded
polystyrene foam. Their name is Lyn Pak. We embarked on
24 a programme of taking our boxes, the polystyrene boxes,
and polystyrene from other companies whom they could do a
25 contract with, to return them to a factory, grind them
back up again and turn the resultant pellets into other
26 things. It might be carpet fibre, it might be plastic
furniture that you use in your garden; it could be
27 something in a car park against which when you drive in
your wheels hit a little stop made of this material.
28 I have even heard of it being used for the lining in ski
jackets. It is a great insulator. Technology has not
29 moved as fast as we would like it to.
30 Q. Can you pause there because I want to ask you if you
remember when this project was initiated between you and
