Water savings a sweetener

CADBURY Schweppes ANZ, with the support of $90,000 in Smart Water funding, will replace eight water-based lubricant conveyor lines with new water free conveyor belt technology at its beverages manufacturing plant at Tullamarine. This will save up to 21,620 kilolitres of water a year.

The Smart Water Fund is a Victorian Government initiative designed to encourage innovation in water conservation and recycling across community, business and industry to help meet Government targets to reduce water use by 15% and increase water recycling by 20% by 2010.

Cadbury Schweppes’ Tullamarine factory operations manager Peter Morgan said the multi-national was doing the retrofit to save water for financial, environmental and social reasons.

He added the new method of lubricating conveyor belts would be more efficient.

Morgan also said that the use of water free conveyor belts was a relatively new concept in Australia.

“Provided our project is successful we hope it will encourage other beverage manufacturers to adopt similar technology and promote environmental responsibility,” he said.

“We see that as a major indicator of the broad success of the project.”

One of the key platforms of the Smart Water Fund, which is co-funded by Melbourne’s four water businesses and supported by the Department of Sustainability and Environment, is to encourage the sharing of water conservation knowledge across industry sectors.

Dennis Cavagna, representing the Smart Water Fund, said industry uses 28% of Melbourne’s total water consumption – a total of 134,400 megalitres.

He added that major industry should follow Cadbury Schweppes’ example.

“Cadbury Schweppes is to be complimented in its move to reduce water consumption. Major industry should take a leaf out of Cadbury Schweppes’ book and lead the community in saving water or recycling the water they already use.

“Business, commercial and industrial customers need to remember that they are using world-class drinking water. Often their water needs don’t have to be drinking quality standard.

“These businesses should work with their local retailer to recycle water – and even consider applying to the Smart Water Fund for an innovation grant in the future,” Cavagna said.

Smart Water Fund: www.smartwater.com.au

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