Fonterra's latest sustainability initiative turns Stanhope’s wastewater from salty to sparkling
Fonterra's Stanhope site is on a mission to reduce water consumption, aiming to conserve an additional 165 million litres of water – equivalent to 66 Olympic-sized swimming pools – each year.
Water is an invaluable resource for our manufacturing facilities, farmers, and communities, particularly in northern Victoria where extreme weather conditions and water limits from the Murray Darling Basin Plan frequently impact the region.
It’s important that not a drop of water is wasted, and one of the ways we do this is by irrigating approximately 800 million litres of wastewater each year onto our Fonterra-owned neighbouring farm where 363 hectares of flood irrigation bays are used to grow hay and silage crops for dairy cattle.
Our cheesemaking at this site creates salty wastewater, and while this wastewater includes a healthy dose of phosphorus and nitrogen – which acts as a natural fertiliser for the crops – it also contains sodium which needs to be diluted with fresh water to ensure crops and soil health remain sustainable for the life of the farm.
Fonterra Australia's Regional Operations Manager for North and East Victoria, Steve Taylor, highlighted that the latest sustainability initiative at Stanhope promises the dual benefit of reducing sodium levels and freshwater consumption.
“We have invested in new membrane technology which recovers the cleaning chemicals that are used to flush and sanitise stainless steel processing equipment and milk silos.
“Caustic cleaning chemical is high in sodium and this recovery process to reuse the cleaning chemical reduces the amount of sodium in the wastewater by around 25%.
“The new system will result in a reduction of 475 metric tonnes of sodium per year – equivalent to around 3.8 million table salt bottles and weighing as much as 235 large cars.
“By reducing salt content in the wastewater, we will need less fresh water to dilute it. We expect that we will see a 20% reduction in freshwater usage, saving approximately 165 million litres every year.
“By reducing salt content in the wastewater, we will need less fresh water to dilute it. We expect that we will see a 20% reduction in freshwater usage, saving approximately 165 million litres every year.
“Since 2018, we’ve reduced water consumption at our Australian factories by 11%, with a target of 15% by 2030.
“With the new equipment, our farm will be able to reduce its reliance on freshwater, and this will help to improve water security for our operations in northern Victoria and meet our sustainability goals," Steve said.
The wastewater irrigation scheme is just one of the ways Fonterra manages water at its manufacturing sites, accompanied by an extensive environmental monitoring program encompassing soil sampling, groundwater monitoring, wastewater analysis, and weekly assessments to monitor salinity, pH levels, and any signs of algae.