Tuna factory tackles environmental problems
The Indian Ocean Tuna (IOT) factory has taken steps to deal with problems affecting the environment and its staff, addressing issues raised at last year’s consultative meetings in the districts.
Mr Lazazzara guides environment officials and members of the media on a tour of the factory to highlight steps that have been taken to deal with problems affecting the environment and its staff
In an interview with the media last week, managing director Tony Lazazzara said measures have been taken since the start of last year to solve problems such as the smell from the factory and dirty waste water leaking from trucks as it is taken to the Providence landfill site.
Working conditions in the factory have been improved, and there has been a reduction in waste gases released. All this work was done in partnership with the Department of Environment.
Mr Lazazzara said a committee was put in place to work on solving the issues and it is now satisfied with what has been achieved. Some of the changes were shown to the media during a visit to the factory last week.
Where, previously, fish remains were sent to a waste water system, a dry cleaning system has now been put on the production line and the leftovers are collected and sent to a fish mill. This means less fish goes into the waste water and the smell is reduced.
A filter has also been put in place to collect the fish remains not picked up by the dry cleaning system so it can be processed for fish meal.
A new, leak-proof compactor that can hold 10 tons of waste has been imported to replace a rubbish skip, so as to stop waste water leaking on to the road and causing a bad smell.
Mr Lazazzara also said IOT’s diesel forklift trucks have been phased out and replaced by LPG gas and electric-powered ones. And work is ongoing to further reduce the organic material that goes into the waste water.
“I am sure that in the future the problem of smell will not occur as frequently as it did in the past, so we are expecting to get fewer complaints now,” he said.
Staff working on the raw pack line now have a better working environment with the introduction of a cooling system, after concerns about uncomfortably hot conditions.
And the environment, health and safety manager at the factory, Mark Benoiton, said they will soon instal this system on the fish-cleaning line.
Other concerns are also being worked on as part of IOT’s medium and long-term plan. These include extracting oil from fish-heads and exporting it to Europe instead of it going into the waste water with other leftovers.
Source: NATION 2-1-10