WASTE AS A RESOURCE: OUT-BOND SALES
Among the materials that are considered to be waste but can be disposed of so that they actually become a resource in the processing of wine, we can find:
- Stems: they are the result of the action of the stem remover machine and they can be gathered and be dried up so that they are sent to companies for further processing processed into pellets for burning in stoves
- Pomace and tartaric acid can be re-used from the vessels and be sold to pharmaceutical and food companies to be used for cosmetics (e.g. grape-seeds) and food preservatives like E334
- Run-off vessels that are not fit for conservation can be sold to wood-crafters so that they can become furniture pieces, tables, flooring. This wood is considered to be particularly prestigious since it has absorbed the qualities of the wine it has stored
- The marc from the press can be brought to distilleries, along with the lees, to be further processed into spirits (i.e. grappa)
WASTE AS A RESOURCE TO BE ENHANCED
Among the materials that are considered as waste but can be disposed of in order to actually become a resource in the supply chain, we can find:
- Stems: they are the result of the action of the stem remover machine and they can be gathered in bunches to be used, after maceration, in the fields (organic fertilization)
- Vessels and containers that are run off and cannot be used for the conservation of wine can be used as containers for the so-called special wines (i.e. Vin Santo, Passiti, Sauternes, Tokaj). As an alternative they can be burnt and used for heating the winery. They can also be brought to a woodcraft laboratory to be worked out as wood boxes for bottles (a good marketing strategy)
- The marc from the press can be used to make spirits (Spirits Bureaus and Country Laws)
MATERIALS THAT CAN’T BE RECYCLED OR SOLD SO THEY NEED TO BE DISPOSED OF
Among the materials that can’t be recycled or re-used as a product or energetic mean, we can find:
- Plastic bags: all the plastic materials to be found in the winery are to be considered as special waste since they have been used in the food supply chain: they need to be separated from the rest of the waste;
- Paper must be kept separated and recycled
- Broken glassware are to be conferred to special bins to be recycled
- Separation sheets and woods of the pallets are to be returned to producers
CAPITALIZING WINERY WASTE
Regulation EC 479/2008 of the EU has given the possibility to member states to use pomace for other purposes than distillation.
For example, they can be used to recovery the enocianina (anthocyanins responsible for the colour of red grapes), the production of agronomic products, energy recovery (i.e. biogas) and the production of cosmetics and pharmaceutical materials.
Special care must be taken for the production of agronomic purposes from pomace, since there could be an effect on the nitrates which is regulated by its own legislation.
Polyphenols can infect compromise the quality of the soil, inhibiting the germination and mobilizing the nitrogen in the soil itself.