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Accepta Newsletter: Issue 17

Seasons Greetings & Best Wishes for 2004 from all at Accepta

Welcome to issue 17; this month we feature some excellent articles including a guide to reducing water and waste costs in the fruit and vegetable processing industry; plus a feature on Accepta 7112, an innovative bio product developed specifically for the bio-augmentation of dissolved air flotation units.

If you find our newsletter useful please pass it on to friends and colleagues. And if there are any subjects you'd like to see included in future issues please e-mail me at sdooner@accepta.com.

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In this issue:

Reducing Water & Waste Costs in Fruit & Vegetable Processing.
Business Skills: Improve Your Time Management - 5 Major Time Wasters to Avoid.
Innovation - Bio-Augmentation: Dissolved Air Flotation Units.
Business Skills: Practice What You Preach.

Reducing Water & Waste Costs

in Fruit & Vegetable Processing

The UK fruit and vegetable industry generates significant amounts of waste water, wasted raw material and packaging. Implementing a systematic waste minimisation programme can reduce waste costs by up to 25%. This can represent 1% of business turnover. These savings can often be achieved by changes in good housekeeping practices and by implementing no-cost and low-cost measures resulting in immediate savings or payback periods of less than two years.

The industry uses large quantities of water, most of which leaves factories as trade effluent. Water supply costs and trade effluent charges are expected to continue to rise. Reducing water consumption and minimising effluent strength and volume therefore make good business sense. Measures to reduce water use can often achieve a 20 - 50% reduction in water-related costs and make a valuable contribution to any waste minimisation programme.

This Good Practice Guide is concerned with fruit and vegetable processing after harvesting and how companies can save money by reducing, re-using and recycling waste. It does not give information on waste disposal, energy efficiency and agricultural practices.

The Guide describes practical measures to eliminate, reduce, re-use and recycle waste and gives advice on how to eliminate waste through effective conservation of produce. Industry Examples throughout the Guide illustrate how fruit and vegetable processing companies have already saved money by implementing a systematic approach to waste minimisation.

The Guide explains how to:

produce process maps and prepare an overall mass balance;
identify sources of waste;
calculate the true cost of waste;
look for opportunities to reduce water and waste costs;
implement a systematic waste minimisation programme;
continue to improve your environmental performance.

Preventing waste in the first place, ie before value is added to your product, will give the greatest savings. However, significant cost savings and environmental benefits can still be achieved by reducing, re-using and recycling waste. Remember, any reduction in water and waste costs will go straight to your bottom line......more

For your complimentary copy of this excellent guide please e-mail sdooner@accepta.com quoting the full title of the document.

Business Skills

Improve Your Time Management: 5 Major Time Wasters to Avoid

Here are five time wasters we'd all like to avoid:

Spreading yourself too thin by trying to do too many things at once. Suggestion: You could set priorities for each day and, if necessary, each hour. Get the most important things done first.

Being afraid to delegate. Suggestion: Convince yourself that it's not necessary to do everything yourself. You can still be certain that certain tasks are being done the way you want them to be when you delegate.

Not Wanting to say "no" to requests. Suggestion: You can't say "yes" to everything without getting in over your head. Decide what you must do and want to do - and say "no" to all other requests.

Being tied to the phone. Suggestion: Have others screen your calls, use voice mail when you don't want to be disturbed. Schedule a telephone hour to return calls.

Procrastination. Suggestion: Get those unpleasant tasks done first - if they are important. Divide large tasks into smaller ones. Reward yourself when you accomplish something.

Innovation

Bio-Augmentation: Dissolved Air Flotation Units

Accepta 7112 is an innovative bio product developed specifically for the bio-augmentation of dissolved air flotation (DAF) units and industrial grease traps. It comprises a highly concentrated powdered formulation, containing a synergistic blend of selectively adapted bacteria, surfactant, and enzymes specifically formulated for the biodegradation of oil and grease in sewer lines and municipal sewage treatment plants.

Benefits of Accepta 7112

Significantly reduces line and pump station maintenance costs.
Liquefies and degrades unwanted oil and grease that upset degreasers.
Enhances the oxygen transfer in the aeration basin.
Enhances organic removal efficiency.
Lowers effluent BOD and COD.
Reduces foaming over the aeration basin surface.
Eliminates bad odours due to grease deposits.

Applications

Accepta 7112 is routinely used by plant operators in lift stations, degreasers, primary clarifiers and aeration basins.

When introduced into a system it dissolves rapidly to release its highly active biological materials, which act to emulsify, liquefy and digest oil and grease.

Accepta 7112 is formulated to:

Degrade long chain fatty acids that are known to be persistent and cause 80% of deposits.
Associate with the hydrophobic phase.
Grow at low pH.
Degrade odour causing short-chain volatile fatty acids....

For further details e-mail sales@accepta.com or call Accepta on +44 (0) 1625 267 581.

Business Skills

Practice What You Preach

If you preach teamwork, do you work well with others?

If you ask those around you to take risks, does your behaviour match your words?

If you recommend lifelong learning, do you attend seminars, read the latest journals and keep up in your field?

Managers who fail to practice what they preach often lack credibility in the eyes of those around them making it hard to motivate and get the best from their teams.

Seasons Greetings & Best Wishes for 2004

from all at Accepta

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