When the country went into lockdown in March, pubs, bars and restaurants were forced to close their doors. Many were left with stock that they could no longer sell to the public and a lot of beer stranded in the supply chain, leading to 70 million pints of beer being destroyed nationwide.
The discarding of beer in an environmentally friendly manner is vitally important. When excessive amounts are poured down the drain, it can be polluting, with local water companies warning it should be destroyed safely to avoid killing fish, harming the environment and damaging water courses.
Close Brothers Brewery Rentals have been supporting those impacted by ethically disposing of over 20 million pints of beer. The disposal procedure involves collecting containers holding out-of-date stock and processing leftover beer, along with other food and beverage waste, in a large digestion facility. The service makes it easier to dispose of high volumes of out-of-date liquids in a controlled way.
Although the decanted beer can no longer be used in the food and drink sector, by-products have several useful applications. Gas released during the process can be turned into a sustainable form of energy, and the liquid waste can also be turned into fertiliser or animal feed to support the agricultural industry. Some companies even use it to fertilise Christmas trees!
As a result of recent circumstances, our decanting capacity has more than trebled at each of our sites, and our teams have safely emptied 320,000 kegs of various sizes and counting!
As we continue to decant and sanitise kegs from major wholesale depots, we are also looking at other opportunities on a smaller scale with brewers and pubs. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.
