New Zealand has over 50 professional breweries, some which use a batch process and others, a continuous process, to brew their beers (Australia & New Zealand Brewing Directory, 2014). In September 2013, 285.8 million litres of beer was available for consumption in New Zealand, accounting for 63% of the alcoholic beverages consumed nationwide (Statistics New Zealand, 2013).

 

 

With such a substantial amount of beer being brewed in New Zealand, a lot of waste output is also generated. The waste created from brewing beer is generally high in moisture content and large in bulk, making the brewing industry a high contributor to overall organic waste. A small brewery, producing around 4,500 litres of beer a week from three batches, will create nearly 2,000 kilograms of spent grain in a week. A large brewery, producing roughly 100,000 litres of beer a week, will generate nearly 40,000 kilograms of spent grain as waste per day, leaving them with over 250,000 kilograms of waste grain to dispose of weekly (Thomas & Rahman, 2006).

 

 

Spent grain is not the only waste product created from the production of beer. Other waste products include water that has been polluted with chemicals from the brewing process, spent hops from flavouring the beer, trub from the fermenting process, excess yeast, and waste beer. Each waste product has different concerns and difficulties associated with its disposal (Pérez-Bibbins, Torrado-Agrasar, Salgado, Oliveira, & Domínguez, 2015).

 

There are already waste management methods in place for the by-products of beer, but there is obvious room for expansion by further utilising these products. Applying creativity and innovation to these current waste management methods will help to create a bigger, brighter future for the beer industry in New Zealand. Click on the links below to find out more.