Handling food waste can be a messy, labor-intensive job for any organization. But for the people living in remote camps, the management of food waste takes on an entirely different level of difficulty.
Camps for mining or oil and gas operations, remote construction teams, and other operations located away from the conveniences of home are responsible for bringing in anything they need and managing any waste left behind. Yet the largest operations, in which hundreds or thousands of individuals might live within a remote community, can generate tons of waste each month. Managing this waste can be costly and labor intensive and can open camps up to security risks.
However, these remote operations now have options that allow them to break down food waste on-site easily, efficiently, and sustainably. By installing food waste digesters in their camps, organizations can redirect resources to essential operational activities.
How food waste digesters help remote operations
Food waste digesters break down organic waste through a process known as aerobic digestion, in which microorganisms naturally decompose organic waste in an oxygen-rich process. The result of this process is a grey water byproduct that meets environmental discharge standards. This solution first gained notice as an environmentally friendly alternative to landfills. In a landfill food breaks down in an oxygen-free process that produces dangerous levels of methane gas. However, organizations of all types are finding that a food waste digester offers additional labor and cost advantages compared to many other methods of the disposal of food waste.
Unlike landfilling, composting, or incineration, food waste digesters minimize the time and effort involved in handling food waste. The equipment is often located in food production areas, which allows kitchen staff to dump waste in during the normal course of cooking and cleanup. No special trips to outside food bins are required. Food is broken down within 24 hours, with no noise or associated odors. In addition, the toughest food waste digesters are capable of breaking down materials that shouldn’t be composted, such as meat and dairy.
Camps are also recognizing that reducing the frequency with which waste must be transported offsite reduces the risks associated with this transport. Any time materials move off-site, it opens up the potential for unapproved individuals to gain access to the site.
Food waste digesters support camp efficiency
It was the desire to improve operational efficiency that prompted B2Gold Corp., a Canadian mining company, to explore waste management alternatives for its Fekola Mine in the Republic of Mali. The company’s largest mine produces more than 400,000 ounces of gold each year. Most of its miners are spread across 1,500 rooms in five campsites on-site.
The company had begun a deep dive into improving its operational efficiency as a way to attract and better support its on-site workforce. Waste management played a major role in this effort. The company wanted a solution that could minimize the labor required to haul waste and the risk of operational disruption that came with transporting waste off-site.
To this end, the company installed an LFC-500 biodigester. Over the course of a year of continuous operation, the organization found it was able to divert approximately 2,100 kg of waste from the landfill each month. In peak operational months, this climbed to a staggering 4,000 kg of organic waste digested on-site.
Food waste digesters offer sustainable solution
Remote camps unavoidably impact the environment. These camps often support essential activities in mining, oil and gas production, construction, and other environmentally impactful work. Yet it’s because of the nature of their activities that many of these camps are committed to reducing their environmental footprint in any way they can. This is the case for ExxonMobil PNG, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil focused on pipeline and liquified natural gas production. The company has made major climate commitments that include a reduction in the waste sent to landfills.
In 2015, the company set out to identify a solution that could help them manage the large volumes of waste generated by a gas production project in Papua New Guinea. Operation of the Hides Gas Conditioning Plant relied upon the work of more than 450 on-site employees. These production employees generated significant amounts of waste, from pallets, paper, and plastics, to food waste. Yet rugged terrain and poor highway infrastructure made transportation of people and materials difficult. As a result, traditional disposal methods were expensive and labor intensive – and no longer in line with the company’s Environmental and Social Management Plans.
This search led ExxonMobil PNG to the LFC-300 biodigesters. They purchased and installed four of the machines at the site. Over the course of nine years of continuous operation, the company realized significant cost savings and labor efficiencies. In 2023 alone, the camps diverted 92,500 kg of waste from the landfill – including 13,700 kg of waste in a single month.
LFC cloud delivers data anywhere
Both ExxonMobil and B2Gold found that biodigesters can prove invaluable in meeting sustainability goals and supporting environmental reporting. That’s because LFC biodigesters provide access to food waste data through the LFC Cloud. With access to this data, organizations can see what types of food is being wasted and change procurement and serving practices accordingly.
In this way, the LFC biodigester has played a crucial role in the Fekola Mine operator’s initiative to reduce its Scope 3 emissions. Data available through the LFC Cloud enables B2Gold to monitor and manage indirect emissions. It also simplifies reporting on the real progress being made to reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030.
Explore waste management options for remote operations
Remote operations rely upon operational efficiency to keep processes running smoothly and workers supported. It’s essential that non-public support functions deliver the same efficiency, productivity, and ingenuity that these teams bring to their work every day. With an on-site food waste digester, mining and other operations can better support their people and their environmental commitments.
Mining operations often choose the LFC-1000 biodigester, which is equipped with a bin tipper that helps to manage the high volume of waste generated by these sites. To learn more about the options available to simplify waste management, visit our Mining Operations Resource page or reach out to a Power Knot distributor today.