TAMPA, FL, April 21, 2010 -- IFCO SYSTEMS announced a breakthrough in its efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its operations via the installation of continuous water recycling equipment in its Atlanta, GA service center. The announcement was made today at the United Fresh produce-industry show in Las Vegas.
The new equipment is expected to reduce the facility's water use by 75%, or about 29 million gallons annually. The Atlanta facility is one of IFCO's four reusable plastic container (RPC) service centers (others are in San Antonio, TX; Rancho Cucamonga, CA; and Chicago, IL), which inspect, clean, and re-distribute used RPCs back to IFCO's customers.
"We are very proud of this accomplishment," said Fred Heptinstall, President and General Manager of IFCO's RPC Management Services Division. "Though the installation of this equipment represents a substantial financial investment on the part of the company during tough economic times, we feel it is a necessary part of IFCO's ongoing commitment to Worldwide Responsibility." Additional water recycling equipment is scheduled to be installed at IFCO's other three service centers in the next 12 months.
The goal of the system is to recover as much used water as possible while maintaining IFCO's high standards for cleanliness. "The recycled water had to meet IFCO's quality standard for 'reusable water,' " explains Salim Baltagi, VP of Operations of IFCO's RPC Management Services Division. "Each of our service centers is AIB-certified and our RPCs are OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) Listed. There are extremely strict standards to which we must adhere." In fact, the reused water with which IFCO now washes its RPCs is clean enough to drink.
About IFCO
IFCO is an international logistics service provider with more than 210 locations worldwide. IFCO operates a pool of over 102 million Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) globally, which are used primarily to transport fresh produce from growers to leading grocery retailers. In the United States, IFCO also provides a national network of pallet management services. IFCO is the market leader in this industry with almost 200 million pallets sorted, repaired and recycled annually.
WORLDWIDE RESPONSIBILITY is an IFCO initiative, under which IFCO not only continues to assume its social and environmental responsibility but, working with strong project partners, expands its sphere of responsible activities. With the initiative's first social-engagement project, IFCO supports Food Banks worldwide in their honorable effort to provide food to the needy through the provision of reusable containers and by co-financing delivery vehicles.
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