Walmart brings food waste reduction tech to 1.4K stores

Walmart Inc. is rolling out technology to help store associates increase the sustainability of the retailer’s food waste stream.

The discount giant is implementing new technology from organics recycler Denali, as well as simplified processes, to aid associates in more efficiently “depackaging” food waste. Called Zero Depack, the new program removes expired food intended for the waste stream from its packaging.

At each Walmart and Sam’s Club store location equipped with Zero Depack, associates toss expired food items in a receptacle, and Denali technology separates the food from its packaging material with as much as 97% accuracy. This helps associates spend less time supporting the recycling process and more time focusing on customer-facing activities.

In addition, Walmart says making the separation of expired or unsalable food from its packaging easier creates cleaner waste streams and potential sustainability opportunities.

When food waste is picked up from participating Walmart or Sam’s Club stores by Denali, one possible outcome is the conversion of unsalable items into biosolids for multiple farming applications, such as compost or food for livestock. The precise output depends on the nature of the original material.

Chain Store Age