Danone North America announced the next milestone on its journey to achieve zero waste to landfill status across its 12 manufacturing locations in the U.S. with the accomplishment at its 58-acre Minster, Ohio, plant. The Minster plant completed a complex review and conversion process in under two years and is now the company’s second zero waste facility. Danone North America’s Bridgeton, N.J., facility announced its achievement on June 4, 2019.

The zero waste journey involves a constant evaluation to optimize the choice and usage of materials and a strong commitment to eliminating waste, not just treating it. Danone North America defines zero waste to landfill as follows:

“Over the past year, we’ve seen great momentum toward establishing a culture of zero waste at our manufacturing plants across North America and are confident in plans for expansion in the years ahead. The production site for nearly 20 products from beloved brands including Oikos, Light & Fit and Danimals, our Minster facility is the largest yogurt plant in the United States, making this latest achievement particularly noteworthy,” said Mariano Lozano, CEO of Danone North America, in a statement. “Achieving zero waste at our Minster and Bridgeton facilities is an extension of our commitment to align business decisions with people and the planet as the world’s largest Certified B Corporation. We look forward to continuing our landfill-free journey with our remaining facilities across the United States, while also continuously working to reduce our overall environmental impact.”

“I commend Danone North America’s commitment to zero waste to landfill in Minster,” said State Rep. Susan Manchester of District 84 in a statement. “It is a great accomplishment and contributes to the betterment of the 84th Ohio House District.”

Since achieving zero waste to landfill at the Minster plant, the site has sent less than 1 percent of waste to landfill each month. In 2020 alone, the Minster plant will keep approximately 180,000 tons of waste out of landfills. Learn more about Danone North America’s approach to driving a circular economy.

The first step to achieving zero waste to landfill is increased production efficiency to reduce waste throughout manufacturing, office and research and innovation activities. Waste includes any material no longer intended for its original use that is required to be recovered (i.e., recycled, reused, composted) or not recovered (i.e., landfilled, incinerated without energy recovery). This includes sludge, byproducts of food making, food waste, packaging waste, hazardous and other non-hazardous waste. The achievement was accomplished with support from Veolia, which provides counsel and services to help eliminate waste, while increasing recycling and reuse.